Premier League preview: Arsenal vs Chelsea
There were plenty of observers who thought Chelsea might pull off an upset against Man City in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend; in the end Pep’s side edged out Pochettino’s.
Chelsea lost 1-0 on Saturday. Now the west London side need to rouse themselves as they face the league leaders on Tuesday night.
While Arsenal haven’t had a great time of it in the last few weeks, they did clinch three points away to Wolves at the weekend, keeping a clean sheet as Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard each found the net.
Arsenal’s last home game ended in a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, but the Gunners have generally been solid at the Emirates – they’ve still only dropped five points to date in 2024.
Chelsea are, it’s fair to say, a variable team – capable of putting in devastating performances like the recent 6-0 win over Everton, yet also having stumbled to draws against both Burnley and Sheffield United in the last month.
But it does seem as if Poch’s side often perform better in the bigger games. They held Arsenal 2-2 in the reverse fixture, and have also held Liverpool and Man City (twice) to draws in this Prem campaign.
And despite drawing a blank at Wembley, they’re scoring plenty of goals; 19 in their last six league games.
But the possible absence of Cole Palmer would be a big plus for Mikel Arteta’s side. Palmer seems likely to miss Tuesday’s game through illness, after Poch told reporters “we need to assess tomorrow, but today I don’t believe he can be involved”.
Pochettino is also yet to win an away game against Arsenal in the Prem; does that seven-match winless run continue this week? The Gunners probably will take care of business, but aren’t especially tempting at a heavy odds on price.
Maybe backing BTTS NO at 23/20 is the best approach, even if it sounds counterintuitive. Four of Arsenal’s last five league games have seen them keep a clean sheet; the other ended with Villa winning as Arsenal failed to find the net.
In fact, eight of Arsenal’s last 10 matches would have paid out if you’d backed against both teams scoring. With Chelsea potentially missing their likeliest goal threat, it’s a bet that may pay off again.
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