Premier League 2023/24: Chelsea vs Arsenal Preview
The 2023/24 Premier League season returns after the latest international break with an intriguing set of fixtures scheduled for Matchday 9.
The standout game on Saturday is at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea will bid to put a dent in Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title.
Mikel Arteta’s head into the game in a buoyant mood having recorded a 1-0 home victory over reigning champions Manchester City in their most recent outing.
Online bookmakers were suitably impressed with that result, cutting Arsenal’s odds to 3/1 to wrestle the title off Man City at the end of the season.
The latest football betting odds for this game suggest Arsenal will continue their excellent form, with the bookies rating them as 7/5 favourites to pick up another three points.
It is difficult to argue with that assessment given that Arsenal have lost just one of their last eight meetings with Chelsea in all competitions.
They completed the double over the Blues last term and will be confident of emerging victorious from their latest visit to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s campaign has been underwhelming to date, although they did show some signs of improvement in their last two outings before the international break.
Away victories over Fulham and Burnley moved Chelsea up to 11th in the standings, a whopping nine points behind table-topping Tottenham Hotspur.
With the Gunners level on points with Spurs, Maurico Pochettino’s side will have their work cut out to take anything from this weekend’s game.
Their unbalanced squad still remains a work in progress and they will not find things easy against an Arsenal side that has looked tough to beat this season.
The victory over Man City highlighted the improvement in Arsenal’s resilience this term – a factor which will stand them in good stead as the title race progresses.
Arsenal’s tally of six goals conceded in eight games is only matched by Man City and has been achieved despite questions being asked over their goalkeeping options.
Arteta appears to have settled on David Raya as his number one for league games, leaving last season’s regular starter Aaron Ramsdale clicking his heels on the bench.
Raya looked nervous at times against the reigning champions, but safely navigated through the game without conceding a goal.
Centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel are a formidable force in front of Raya, which gives Arsenal the perfect platform to build from.
Declan Rice has been solid rather than spectacular in the centre of the park, but his presence in the team has undoubtedly made Arsenal’s midfield better.
That strong defensive spine helps to compensate for the lack of a natural goalscorer – an issue which is yet to prove too problematic for Arteta.
It will be intriguing to see how that situation unfolds as the season progresses, particularly against teams who are capable of defending well.
That tag certainly applies to Chelsea, who have conceded just seven goals in eight games despite languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Despite this, Arsenal are strongly fancied to claim another three points this weekend ahead of what looks to be a reasonably favourable run of fixtures.
A home game against Sheffield United should see Arsenal end the month on a positive note before they embark on three league fixtures in November.
Their toughest test will be at Newcastle United, although it is worth noting that the Gunners triumphed on their most recent visit to St James Park.
Games against Burnley (H) and Brentford (A) complete Arsenal’s league schedule for November and it would be a major surprise if those matches failed to yield a six-point return.
Arsenal’s busy upcoming schedule may give Arteta a few sleepless nights, with his team also set to face three Champions League games and a League Cup tie before the end of November.
The Gunners’ boss will be keen to safely navigate through this tricky run to ensure the team are well-placed to continue challenging on all fronts.
Winning the Premier League is unquestionably the primary aim this season, but winning games in other competitions will help to build confidence and momentum.
Kicking off this hectic period with a victory at Stamford Bridge would be a great place to start and Arsenal look a good bet to get the job done.
Chelsea have won just once at home this season and their fans could turn quickly if the Gunners can grab an early advantage in the game.
Match prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal.
Keeping Sterling and Mudryk quiet will be key to stopping Chelsea in my opinion.
Chelsea wont be easy by any stretch of imagination. They are finding their momentum and Sterling and Palmer are playing well. Arsenal will have to defend well and cut off the supply routes to their forwards. Enzo is a class player and our midfield will have to dominate their midfield to get a grasp on the game. I still expect Arsenal to win though since we have the quality to see off teams.
The battle will be have to be won in midfield, i’ve said a couple times that we don’t have to start the “cheat code” combo of Partey and Rice against any team in the prem excep City but i’ve got to change that and hope Mikel start both against chelsea’s Caicedo and Enzo who happened to have clicked of late but without the experience of our pair. win the midfield and we get to score more goals than they could manage hence a win for us, otherwise it’ll be theirs to lose.
VAMOS, dont you think you ought to explain what you mean by the “cheat code” as that makes NO sense to non mind readers?
Cheat code simply means what a person or a team does outside the norm or tradition for the purpose of dominating,winning, overpowering and outscoring oppositions in a competition.
It still makes no sense. Why not explain properly, remembering that we are not mind readers and what may well make sense to you makes none at all to those who use and understand English in its traditional way.
What and how does any player contribute”outside the norm” whatever that means?
They are brimming with life now that may have spark by a mini revival, but we are a more cohesive unit.
If Arsenal scores first in this one , it could end in a high scoring game regardless of the quality of the opposition.
I’m waiting to know who is fit to play. That’d be very critical for Arsenal