2 Reasons why Arsenal are the favourites to win their Premier League clash with Chelsea
Chelsea will take on Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a crucial Premier League match next Saturday, October 21. The London derby is important for both clubs, as Chelsea are recuperating from a disappointing start to the season and Arsenal will want to consolidate their position with a win.
Chelsea are 11th in the league table with 11 points from eight matches, while Arsenal are second with 20 points from the same number of matches. Mikel Arteta’s Gunners should be in a better position to win the match on Saturday.
Let us take a look at two reasons behind that:
#1. Arsenal’s high press and strong attack should be difficult to handle:
Bukayo Saka is likely to make a return to action from a hamstring injury he suffered a few weeks back. Should he be able to make a return, Arsenal’s attack will be very strong for the Blues to handle.
Robert Sanchez has kept three clean sheets in eight matches this season so far, but to repeat the act against the Gunners should be considerably tough. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Saka should put the Blues’ defence under a lot of pressure with their high press.
It remains to be seen how well the likes of Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill deal with the press. The roles of the defensive midfielders, Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo, will become very crucial in this regard.
#2. Chelsea’s rejuvenated attack will be up against a very strong defence:
Chelsea’s attack has been performing better in recent times, with Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer coming up with improved performances. However, the Gunners have one of the strongest, if not the strongest, defences in Premier League, with Gabriel and William Saliba forming one of the best centre-back duos.
Saliba was exceptional in containing Erling Haaland in Arsenal’s win over Manchester City. With the assuring presence of Declan Rice ahead of them, the Arsenal defenders should be well-equipped to deal with the threat posed by the Chelsea forwards.
In addition to that, Arsenal also have a very good pair of full-backs in the form of Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will fancy their chances of containing Raheem Sterling and Palmer. The chance of an upset can never be ruled out, but Arsenal will be in a better position overall to secure three points on the day.