Arsenal – Chelsea

Arsenal and Chelsea will square off at Emirates in a match between the two best teams in Premier League. It is Arsenal’s last chance to put some pressure for the title, but Chelsea, who has 10 points in front, will all but win it if they get at least a point.

Arsenal is on the back of a 2-1 extra time win over Reading last week, securing a place in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa. They didn’t quite play their best football, but did enough to go trough. It was the 9th consecutive win for Wenger’s men and the 17th victory in the last 19 matches, an absolutely amazing statistic. Arsenal hasn’t played this well in a long time and if there is a moment to grab a win over Chelsea, this is it.

The Blues have lost the form they had in 2014, but, without playing top football, they are doing the job every week and inching their way to the Premier League title. Chelsea is on the back of a 1-0 win over Manchester United, a match in which they parked the bus and held under 30% possession – at home! It was the second consecutive 1-0 win for Chelsea after the late goal at QPR and the 4th consecutive win – all of them by just one goal.

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Team news & lineups:

Arsenal is healthier than ever, only missing Oxlade-Chamberlain. Mertesacker is doubtful and even if he passes the fitness test, Gabriel Paulista will likely deputize in front of him. Chelsea does’t have any definite absentees, but they are struggling big time on the offensive end, with all three strikers questionable. Diego Costa could make an unexpected comeback, but it`s rather unlikely. Remy and Drogba are struggling with injuries as well.

Arsenal: Ospina – Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal – Coquelin, Cazorla – Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez – Giroud

Chelsea: Courtois – Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta – Zouma, Matic – Willian, Fabregas, Hazard – Drogba

The fact that Mourinho has Wenger’s number is well known, with the Arsenal manager never being able to defeat his rival in 12 matches. Mourinho does it the same time every time, home or away – parking the bus and speculating Arsenal’s small size and low speed / aggression level on counters. The gameplan will be the same this time around, especially with Chelsea meeting an opponent in better form and virtually securing the title with 1 point – however, with the emergence of Coquelin in the defensive midfielder position and with Gabriel instead of Mertesacker, Arsenal seems better prepared to face Mourinho’s tactic today. The Blues won`t be able to sky rocket on the break beside the likes of Arteta or the slow German.

With the excellent form of Arsenal and their unusually healthy lineup, the Gunners might just edge a close win in a low scoring affair. The under over market looks like the best choice today though. Considering Chelsea’s offensive missings, their projected lineup with Zouma in midfield and Fabregas in offense and the expected gameplan of Mourinho, my tip will be under 2,5 goals – a result which occurred in 3 of the last 4 meetings. Prediction: Arsenal – Chelsea 1-0.

Pick: under 2,5 goals
Odds: 1.72 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.76
Event date: 26 April