Chelsea versus Arsenal represents the headline clash in the Premier League this weekend as two sides with no love lost between them look to claim all three points from a top-six rival. Over the years, the dominance of this fixture has continually swayed and even last season, despite claiming the English crown, the Blues managed to beat the Gunners just once from three attempts. So, how will Sunday’s game pan out and where will it fit into the rich tapestry of this fixture? We can’t predict the future unfortunately, but we can provide you with everything you need to know before kickoff…
What history tells us
Once upon a time, this fixture was essentially a foregone conclusion – Chelsea failing to beat Arsenal for nearly a whole decade in the Premier League between 1995 and 2005. But that latter date is particularly significant; the Blues win that broke the trend came during Jose Mourinho’s second full season at Chelsea, after twice drawing with Arsene Wenger during 2004/05, and signified a dramatic shift in the balance of power. Since then, Arsenal have bettered the west Londoners just five times in the top flight, losing a whopping 14. And while Chelsea have gone on to claim titles domestically and in Europe, the Gunners have only managed a succession of FA Cups since the days of the Invincibles. Perhaps the other point of note is the sheer number of red cards – a whopping 13 from 50 encounters – including an infamous two for Arsenal during the 2015/16 campaign.
Referee influence – Michael Oliver
Without trying to sound too dramatic, Michael Oliver really does spell bad news for the Gunners. Arsenal have won just four and lost eight of the Premier League matches the 32-year-old has officiated, picking up 32 yellow cards and two red cards. More pertinent to Sunday’s game, Oliver’s surprising leniency when it comes to fouls awarded plays directly into Chelsea’s hands; they’ve committed the most fouls of any Premier League side this term and also average more tackles per match than Arsenal – that aggressive style might go largely unpunished on Sunday. Additionally, Oliver also had the biggest home win bias of any referee to officiate more than ten games last season at a whopping 67% – something hosts Chelsea can surely draw confidence from on Sunday.
Team News
Antonio Conte’s starting XI is relatively predictable at this moment in time, Chelsea becoming synonymous with the 3-4-3 setup during their successful title charge last season, and the Blues’ only injury concern heading into the weekend is Danny Drinkwater who probably wouldn’t have started against the Gunners anyway. However, the Chelsea boss does have a few important decisions to make, namely whether he should disrupt a back three that conceded just twice in three games to reinstate captain Gary Cahill following his suspension, and whether Eden Hazard has overcome his recent injury problems well enough to start. The Belgium international featured from the bench against Qarabag in midweek but didn’t look particularly sharp.
With Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin injured and Jack Wilshere still on the mend, Wenger’s hands are relatively tied in central midfield but his options are open in the other departments and after scoring his first goal of the season on Thursday night, Alexis Sanchez looks almost certain to start despite a poor performance at Anfield prior to the international break. However, if there’s one lingering doubt, it’s whether Arsenal will actually set up with 3-4-3. Liverpool ripped that formation apart with their pace down the flanks and after going 1-0 down to Koln in the Europa League, Wenger switched to a far more effective 4-2-3-1 formation in the second half. That being said, matching up against Chelsea has worked for Arsenal during their last two attempts, winning in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield.
