Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Preview, Odds, Predictions (May 2)
Initial Thoughts
Heading into Tuesday night’s clash, the Gunners are desperate to claw back their lead at the top, while Chelsea are just desperate for the season to be over.
The Narrative
For the first time in eleven weeks - and only the second time since August last year - Arsenal head into a game WITHOUT being Premier League leaders.
Prior to the World Cup break the Gunners had amassed what many considered to be an unassailable 8 point lead at the top of the table, only for a mid-season slump to see Arteta’s side drop points against Everton, Brentford and Man City in three consecutive matches back in February.
Arsenal bounced back to win their next seven games, raising hopes again of a first Premier League title for over a decade. But April proved to be a winless month for the North London side, with the Gunners sharing the points against Liverpool, West Ham and Arsenal before losing to City for the second time this season, in a 4-1 demolition at the Etihad last week.
Pep Guardiola's side won one of their two games in hand against Fulham on the weekend, seeing City leapfrog Arsenal into first place with only six games to play.
Chelsea’s season has descended into either comedy or tragedy, with Todd Boehly overloading the dressing room with underperforming stars and tarnishing Frank Lampard’s managerial reputation for good.
Since the former club legend took the helm in the wake of Graham Potter’s departure last month, Lampard has overseen a run of five straight defeats on the bounce, but are they due a change in fortunes against the Gunner’s on Tuesday?
Nuts and Bolts
Arsenal ran out 1-0 winners when these sides last met at the Bridge back in November, in a bad-tempered game that saw Chelsea receive 5 yellow cards on the night.
Finding the net has been a major problem for the Blues all season. Todd Boehly bought every kind of overpriced star except a recognized striker, and Lampard’s side has racked up just a single goal in their last 630 minutes of football.
Arsenal's poor run of form has coincided with the loss of center back William Saliba, who’s still out of action since sustaining a back injury in Arsenal's Europa League defeat to Sporting CP in mid March.
The Gunner’s have looked shaky without the young Frenchman at the back, and the stage is now set for ex-club legend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to return to haunt his former club.
Aubameyang left Arsenal under a cloud after falling out with Arteta last year, and he’s been under a cloud and permanently on the bench in the post-Thomas Tuchel Chelsea era as well.
Despite losing 2-0 to Brenford last weekend, Lampard’s side looked much better after Aubameyang’s second half introduction. So could the ex-Arsenal striker be about to play a starring role in the Gunner’s agonizing end to the season?
Homestand Picks
All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets
Aubameyang Over 1.5 Shots (+125)
Back at the Emirates and back in Arteta’s face - this could be one of the defining storylines of the season.
There’s no two ways about it: the Gunners are spooked, and Chelsea are due at least a minor change in form.
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