Arsenal V Chelsea betting preview

Arsenal V Chelsea – Sunday 16:00

Some were suggesting that this fixture could be a preview of the Champions league final but Manchester United and Barcelona dashed the dream of an all London final in midweek. Both teams will be massively disappointed and both Arsene Wenger and Guss Hiddink have to somehow get their players fired up for what is a London Derby between third and fourth place.

Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal can’t feel hard done by with their midweek exit in the Champions League. They knew their fate early on when both Gibbs and Almunia made costly mistakes to end Arsenal Champions League ambitions. The only positive to take from that game is the experience the young Arsenal side will take from that game although Gibbs maybe wishing he never turned up after an awful howler early on. There was no excuses though and Arsenal were simply outplayed and outclass by United but the perfect way to drown out the critics would be to add to Chelsea’s woes this Sunday.
         Although Arsenal have no chance of winning the title and they have sewn up at least a fourth place finish. They will be well aware that Chelsea are still catchable and Wenger will eye this game as a possible six pointer especially when you consider that only the team that finishes in fourth has to go through the predictable qualifying rounds in order to actually make the group stages. Whoever finishes third will be entitled to a longer holiday and that could be a huge incentive for the Arsenal kids as they could do with a break after a disappointing calender year.

The one thing Chelsea do have in common with their London rivals is their exit from the Champions League. The only difference is that Chelsea can feel very hard done by after some dreadful refereeing decisions cost Guss Hiddink and his side a place in the final of Europe’s greatest club competition. The players showed their frustration and a hefty fine will be heading Chelsea’s way. There is no doubt about that after Drogba, Ballack and Terry got too carried after the final whistle.
        Manager Guss Hiddink now has to settle his side down and get them to concentrate on the task at hand, and that’s a visit to a familiar Emirates stadium. It will be hard for the players to get fired up for this clash after a morale crushing defeat in midweek but if anyone can do it, it’s Hiddink. A win is also a must for ‘The Blue’s as a win for ‘The Gunners’ would leave Chelsea vulnerable to a fourth place finish. 

I know this is a Derby match but it’s hardly been a thriller or even a feisty affair in the past. Both sides come into this game off the back of morale crushing defeats in midweek, especially Chelsea who are by far the better side of the two. I can see both suffering Champions League hangovers and with that in mind, we can’t separate the two. The only plus point for the is that both pair have been picking up the right results in the league but after a disappointing week, we can see this being a low key affair at The Emirates and finish with both sides sharing the spoils.

Match Odds -
Arsenal 13/8 Bet365     
Draw 23/10 Coral     
Chelsea 19/10 Expekt

Prediction – Draw