Chelsea – Arsenal (EFL Cup)
After a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium, for the Premier League, now it is Chelsea’s turn to go up against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, this time in a tie for the 1st leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals. The Blues arrive here after a 0-0 draw against Norwich City for the FA Cup, their second straight draw, something they will want to change here. Arsenal, on their turn, are winless in their last three consecutive matches and managed to avoid defeat against the Blues after Alvaro Morata spurned three great goalscoring chances.
Chelsea had to eliminate Nottingham Forest, Everton and Bournemouth to reach the semi-finals, and are seeking to add a title that they have already won 5 times in their history, with the last time being in 2014/15. In the last two seasons, the Blues did not go beyond the 4th round. Antonio Conte is achieving a good jog this season at the helm of the team, although they have recently lost 2nd place in the Premier League to Manchester United, thanks to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal, a game where the team could have won. The Blues have won all their last 9 home matches in domestic competitions, scoring 22 goals and conceding only 6 in the process, keeping clean sheets in 5 of those 9 matches. Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal in their last four encounters, but have not lost at home to the Gunners since October 2011.
In their last 5 official matches, Chelsea has a record of 2 victories and 3 draws. This sequence of results started with a 0-0 draw away to Everton. This result was followed by a 2-0 victory over Brighton, a 5-0 victory against Stoke City, a 2-2 draw away to Arsenal, and in their last match, a 0-0 draw away to Norwich City.
Probable Lineup: Courtois – Azpilicueta, Christensen and Cahill – Kanté, Bakayoko, Fàbregas, Moses and Alonso – Hazard – Morata.
Arsenal, on their turn, had to eliminate Doncaster Rovers, Norwich City and West Ham in the previous rounds to reach the semi-finals. This is a competition where the team has very little success, having won the EFL Cup only twice in their history, with the last time still being in 1992/93, and these semi-finals are the furthest the team has reached since 2010/11, year they reached the final but ended up eliminated by Birmingham City. The team led by Arsène Wenger are in 6th place in the Premier League, out of the european spots.
Arsenal have struggled for consistency on their travels this season, winning just three of their 12 domestic away matches thus far, and were also eliminated from the FA Cup 3rd round by Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest, on Sunday. It is importante to note that in Wenger’s career, the two teams that caused the most misery to the French coach were Manchester United and Chelsea, losing 26 times against the Red Devils and 19 against the Blues. A trip to Stamford Bridge is always difficult and the objective for Arsenal will be to ensure they are still in the contest when they take the game back to the Emirates.
In their last 5 official matches, Arsenal has a record of 1 victory, 3 draws and 1 defeat. This sequence of results started with a 3-3 draw at home against Liverpool. This result was followed by a 2-3 victory against Crystal Palace, a 1-1 draw away to West Bromwich, a 2-2 draw at home against Chelsea, and in their last match, a 4-2 defeat against Nottingham Forest, for the FA Cup. Santi Cazorla, Monreal, Giroud, Kolasinac, Koscielny and Ramsey are all out due to injury.
Probable Lineup: Cech – Chambers, Mustafi and Holding – Xhaka, Wilshere, Bellerín and Maitland-Niles – Sáchez and Ozil – Lacazette.
Chelsea have won 3 of their last 8 directo confrontations, tying 3 and losing the 2 remaining.
Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea |
Premier League 2017/18
|
Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal |
Premier League 2017/18
|
Arsenal | 1-1(4-1 g.p.) | Chelsea |
Com. Shield 2017
|
Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea |
FA Cup 16/17
|
Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal |
Premier League 2016/17
|
Arsenal | 3-0 | Chelsea |
Premier League 2016/17
|
Arsenal | 0-1 | Chelsea |
Premier League 2015/16
|
Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal |
Premier League 2015/16
|
Arsenal played well in the 2-2 draw at home against Chelsea last week, but should really had lost that match after Alvaro Morata spurned three great goalscoring chances. The Blues have the means to win here, and with the support of their fans, a home victory is on the cards.