Arsenal will face Chelsea at North London derby, is likely to be a tense affair, with few goals to be found. Chelsea are full of confidence after a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, with four clean sheets in their last five matches in all competitions, as they look to test Arsenal’s potent attack.
How will Chelsea find a way to break Arsenal down?
Chelsea made the odd move of announcing early that their star man Cole Palmer would return to face Arsenal, signaling their attacking intentions, but experts say they will play defensively, waiting for counter-attacking opportunities.
On the other hand, Arsenal have been impressive defensively this season, keeping clean sheets in 75% of their 10 Premier League matches. Although key striker Viktor Gyokeres is likely to be fit in time to face Chelsea, we’re unlikely to see a high-scoring encounter at Stamford Bridge, especially as both teams are looking to avoid a derby defeat.
Midfielder Martin Odegaard is also considered a potential match candidate for the match, scheduled for 11:30 PM Vietnam time today, November 30th.
A draw is highly likely, as Chelsea and Arsenal have shared the spoils in two of their last four meetings. Statistics firm OPTA also revealed that Arsenal lost six of their seven Premier League games without a win at Chelsea between 2013 and 2018, but are now unbeaten in their last six visits to Stamford Bridge (W3 D3). Of course, this run is largely due to Mikel Arteta’s three seasons as Premier League runners-up.
So, a clean sheet would be advantageous for the home side, not detrimental to the visitors. However, given their excellent form, the Gunners will certainly not be complacent. The question is how Arteta will rotate the squad to maintain full strength, given Arsenal’s one-day rest compared to the team at Stamford Bridge.