With a cold wind howling through London on Saturday night, a passionate London derby is about to take place at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's recent performance has been like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, with three consecutive victories highlighting the team's growth. However, they are about to face a tough battle this week against Arsenal, who have only two undefeated teams left in the EPL. In their last six matches against Arsenal, the Blues lost five and drew one, which perhaps epitomizes the difference in strength between the two teams.
In my opinion, the secret of Chelsea's progress lies in the gradual stabilization of the squad. Although I don't think it's the strongest lineup, the consistency brought by using the same players over and over again has paid off, especially the understanding of the midfield trio.
The balance of Moses Scarcitto, Ansel Fernandes and Gunnar Gallicha kept the team in control of the ball and won the game. Usually, Chelsea needs to score first in a match to play in style and get all three points. Recent goals from the likes of Staanen, Galpenma, Medilli, Nicolas Jackson and Bucha may give the team a boost, allowing them to be more decisive and confident in the box early in the game.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned the Chelsea and Liverpool situation, where some players have traveled long distances on international duty, and for Chelsea, two key players, Fernandez and Carcido, have had the biggest impact. Against a dynamic Arsenal midfield, they may suffer. In addition, Arsenal also have Sim Jungkol who moves into the middle of the pitch when organizing, which gives them an advantage in terms of personnel. For two teams that like to control the ball, the midfield will be the deciding point of the game.
Arsenal go into this game with a lot of confidence, having beaten Manchester City in their last game and Chelsea last year at Stamford Bridge, so they are favored in this game. And they've certainly deserved it with their excellent performances.
Against Man City in their last game, I was worried that they would be much weaker without Bucayo Shaka, but they proved everyone wrong and showed great depth in their squad with a goal from Gabil Martinielli. I've always thought Shaka was too much of a standout and left the Brazilian winger underrated. However, Shaka's ability to come back from injury will also be key.
With Martinelli, Thomas Pardew and the possible return of Shaka, Arsenal will probably play with full strength. However, they still need to wait for the fitness of William Shaliba, who is also out of the French national team due to a minor injury. The stalwart has been one of Arsenal's most crucial players this season, not missing a single game so far and never being successfully broken through by the opposition.
Assuming he misses the game due to injury, Binwet could move into the center and Tomo Yasu could play on the right side. This is good news for Chelsea, as the in-form Staanen will face the opposition's substitute right-back, while Galpenma stays high up the pitch to take advantage of the space left by Cinco de Mayo when he's on the pitch. The hard-working Nicolas Jackson can assist the midfield line as an extra player behind the drop if needed.
Looking at the stats and objective factors, Arsenal have the edge, but I may be letting my intuition ride my reasoning, and I have a hunch about Chelsea. In soccer, sometimes you get that feeling, and Chelsea has what it takes to beat Arsenal. Pudjetino have never lost a home game against Arsenal in the Premier League, and I think that will continue to be the case.
