Arsenal v Chelsea: Betting Preview

Arsenal v Chelsea
Live on Sky Sports 1. Kick off 4pm

In what promises to be the most crucial game of the season so far, Betfair’s “Mystical” Mike Norman gives his insight into who can win the game (and why) for the Gunners.

It may still be relatively early in the season, but if Arsenal lose to Chelsea on Sunday then I’d be quite confident in predicting that the Gunners’ title chances are all but over.

Make no bones about this; this clash between two of the Premier League’s heavyweights is the most crucial game of the season so far – not just for the teams participating, but for every club in and around the current top six. A win for Chelsea will effectively make the title race a two horse one; a win for Arsenal, along with wins for Manchester United, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool this weekend mean it’s game on again!

In the match odds market, Arsenal can be backed at 2.86 to take all three points, Chelsea at 2.74, with The Draw available to back at 3.4.

The Gunners face a huge task in trying to beat Carlo Ancelloti’s highly impressive unit, a task made even harder by the fact that Chelsea now have a fully-fit squad to choose from. But I’m going for a home win in this game, not just because I feel Arsenal have to win, but because they have a few potential match winners who are right at the top of their game at the moment.

Arsenal are the best footballing team in the country. Cesc Fabregas – no doubt aided by an injury-free spell – has been inspiring all season, and his range of passing is deadly enough to slice open any defence in Europe. He is going to have to put in the performance of his life against Chelsea’s midfield on Sunday, but I would never rule out the possibility of this great player doing so.

Predictably, the other Arsenal players who are going to have to be at their best for this encounter are goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, the much improved Alexandre Song, defensive rock William Gallas, and the diminutive but brilliant Andrey Arshavin.

Song in particular is going to be pivotal. Sitting in front of the back four, he will try to stifle the forward runs of Frank Lampard, Deco and Michael Ballack; if he can do that, Arsenal have a great chance.

Almunia – one of the best goalkeepers in the league in my opinion – and Gallas will be hoping for a relatively quiet afternoon against Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, but if their services are called upon regularly then I wouldn’t underestimate the chances of the Arsenal duo coming out on top.

All in all it’s going to be an enthralling encounter between two incredibly gifted teams. I doubt the watching nation will have time to pause for breath as these two giants of the Premier League engage in battle – and the man who can cause the most breathless moments and win the game for the Gunners is Arshavin.

I absolutely adore his attitude, his skill, his enthusiasm – everything about him is world class. Song and Fabregas will get the ball to him as much as possible and I can see the Russian thriving. True, the loss of Robin van Persie (who is now expected to be out for five months) in attack is a big one, but Carlos Vela and Eduardo are no slouches, and there is a chance that Theo Walcott will start. Whoever is ahead of Arshavin on the pitch, I have no worries that he will provide them with plenty of opportunities.

Despite waxing lyrical over Arsenal it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Chelsea have scored in 27 consecutive matches now. In fact, Arsenal’s blank against Sunderland last week was the first time they’d failed to net in 21 fixtures. In the Both Teams To Score market, the Yes option is available to back at 1.75, and though this appears slightly short, the stats couldn’t be any more in your favour.

Over 2.5 Goals has to be considered at 2.0. With so much talent on show it’s impossible to envisage few goals. If you can see it being low-scoring however, you can currently get matched at 1.96 for Under 2.5 Goals.

The only other markets I’m interested in getting involved in are the Correct Score and To Score markets.

Arsenal to win 2-1 (11.5) and 3-1 (28.0) are my recommendations, though I wouldn’t completely rule out a 2-2 outcome – available to back at 16.5.

In the To Score market, Arshavin (3.8) and Fabregas (4.1) are priced about right so having spoken about them so kindly, I’d be mad not to recommend them. However, it’s Gallas who catches the eye. At 14.0 to back he is my selection with the knowledge that he is quite a frequent scorer for a defender and that he will be desperate to get one against his former club.

• Best Bet: Back Arsenal to beat Chelsea @ 2.86
• Also: Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.0; Back Both Teams To Score @ 1.75; Back William Gallas To Score @ 14.0

Reproduced with permission from betting.Betfair.com. © The Sporting Exchange Limited

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