It will be up to the classic Londoner Arsenal and Chelsea to close the twenty-second round of the English Championship in its 2017/2018 version. This Wednesday, January 3, the match will be held at Emirates Stadium and is scheduled to start at 17:45 (Brasília time).
Arsenal’s recent performance
The Gunners defend an invincibility that already lasts eight matches. But it can not be considered impressive. There were four wins and four draws in the period. Equality was the result of the most recent duel. On Sunday, December 31, as a visitor, Arsenal ended up yielding the 1-1 draw to West Bromwich.
The match that determined equality was questioned enough by coach Arséne Wenger. The veteran coach fired barbs at the referee for a penalty kick against his side in the final minutes of the second leg.
Blaming the judge is always easier than blaming your own players. Despite having wide control of possession (65% to 35%), Arsenal failed to reproduce this advantage in the number of attempts to finish (15 to 14). In addition, only one third of the shots hit the target. More of the same. Arsenal still trades a lot of passes (648 against 324 WBA), but has difficulty when it needs to be more aggressive.
For the classic of this Wednesday is expected the return of two very important players for the team. Wenger midfielder Aaron Ramsey (15 games in the 2017/2018 English League season, three goals), and Olivier Giroud (15 goals, four goals), who is not a starter but is often fired by Wenger.
Both are undergoing injury treatment and must undergo further tests that will determine if they can act. Also in the ward are defenders Sead Kolasinac (17 matches, one goal) and Nacho Monreal (19 matches, two goals).
Current form of Chelsea
In training, Chelsea thrashed Stoke at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, December 30. He made it 5-0. He practically secured the victory in the first stage, which ended in 3 to 0, and then only managed the result in order to reduce the wear and tear that his athletes would undergo at home in a game more disputed.
With the win, the Blues took the tournament lead at the end of the twenty-first round to reach 45 points (14 wins, three draws and four defeats) beating Manchester United, who drew 1-1 with Southampton (0-0).
In addition, the team led by Italian coach Antonio Conte completed four consecutive Premier League matches without conceding a single goal. Which means the Brazilian defender David Luiz (eight games, one goal), should follow from outside the team. Officially he is injured, but left the team just after arguing with the coach. It is a quoted name to be transferred in the January transactions window.
Another Brazilian who is also on the list of quoted to leave the club is the William midfielder (21 games, three goals). In this case, however, income does not justify dispensation. Although in most of the matches the athlete has already entered the second half, he usually improves the team when he is on the field.
History of the matches Arsenal vs Chelsea
The London classic has had three editions in the current season. Two were in friendlies. In July, Chelsea thrashed by 3-0. In August, there was a 1: 1 lead. In the first official game in September, the Premier League, a new draw, this time without goals.
You can not complain about Arsenal inconstancy. The team play practically every match the same way. Exchange balls patiently awaiting the opportunity of penetration. Can not force the game. Chelsea, on the other hand, is much more acute and usually sets the ball more quickly when it manages to regain possession of the ball. Helped by a smaller number of injuries, the visiting team turns out to be the best guessing option for the 2.60 at Rivalo. The house paid the same prize in case of success of Arsenal and offers a price of 3.40 for equality.
