Chelsea vs Arsenal clash on the London ground on Sunday, November 30. The famous Stamford Bridge is brightened up as the two teams are heading for a title clash. By posting an amazing 4-1 victory over Tottenham and a 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich during the Champions League group stage, November has turned Arsenal into the current leaders of the Premier League by six points.
The High Stakes
In total, a win for Gunners over Chelsea vs Arsenal will ensure the 9 points lead for Arsenal. Chelsea are at second position and are enjoying the maximum benefit of the new boss Enzo Maresca. On the other hand, a victory for the Blues will reduce their distance from the leaders to just 3 points. It will make it more probable for them to battle for the crown, especially after beating Barcelona 3-0. Still, the historical stats between the two clubs have been in Arsenal’s favor: Chelsea has not taken 3 points from a league match against Arsenal since August 2021 and have lost every one of the four previous leagues games when Arsenal were leading at the top of the table.
Arsenal’s Formidable Machine
The Gunners have the most potent attack with 24 goals scored. Also, the best defense in the league with just 6 goals given up. Since August 2021, they have won 15 straight games across all competitions. Eberechi Eze’s ascent following his incredible hat-trick against Spurs showed the depth of Arsenal’s roster. Martin Ødegaard is yet to lose a game against Chelsea with seven goal involvements, returns from a period of injury. Arsenal will have to deal with a few notable absentees. Leandro Trossard’s muscle issue is unclear, and Viktor Gyökeres (hamstring) and Gabriel Magalhães (thigh) are both out until late December.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapié, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard; Saka, Eze, Martinelli.
Chelsea’s Resurgent Threat
Maresca’s Blues sit pretty in second, their 3-0 Barca win fueling belief despite a patchy home record—only 43.5% of points earned at Stamford Bridge this season. They’ve opened the scoring in seven straight league games, a streak Arsenal ended 5-0 last term. Cole Palmer returns from groin/toe woes, boosting their attack alongside Pedro Neto and wonderkid Estevao Willian, whose solo stunner lit up Barca. But absences mount: Romeo Lavia (thigh) and Dario Essugo (surgery) are out until December/January, Levi Colwill faces a season-long ACL battle, and Malo Gusto is a major doubt (knock).
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Delap.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
