Mikel Arteta finds himself under pressure after just one year in charge of Arsenal following a poor start to the season, a record of four wins, two draws and eight defeats from 14 matches this season is an indication of the team’s problems, and they are only four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s fixtures. It is incredibly difficult to imagine Arsenal dropping out of the top flight, but the fact that the possibility is even being discussed is a real concern for the capital giants. The Gunners have the fifth-worst home record in the Premier League this season, meanwhile, picking up just seven points from their seven matches, scoring just six times in the process. Arteta will be hoping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is fit to return having missed the last 2 games with a calf injury. Thomas Partey will once again be missing but Granit Xhaka returns after a 3 match ban.
Despite such negativity at the club it should not be forgotten that Arsenal have actually won 6 of the last 10 against “Top 6” teams including a 1-0 win at Old Trafford against Man Utd in November. The Gunners problems are in attack as defensively they have the 6th best defence in the league. The Gunners have not lost a home Boxing Day fixture since 1987 a run of 12 unbeaten. Arsenal should take confidence from the results against the Top 6 in recent matches and the 25/1 for New Customers with 888Sport for a Gunners win is definitely worth considering
The Blues are only six points behind league leaders Liverpool on the same number of matches but are just three points ahead of ninth-placed Aston Villa, who have two matches in hand, which is an indication of how quickly things can change due to the nature of this season’s Premier League. Chelsea recorded back-to-back away league victories over Burnley and Newcastle United between October 31 and November 21 but have lost their last two on the road to Everton and Wolves, and Arsenal are certainly capable of making it a difficult match despite the home side’s problems this term. Frank Lampard will be without Hakim Ziyach for the trip across the capital and also has doubts over England Full Backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
Lampard will be under more pressure to delivery a trophy this year given the money that was spent in the summer but he is still struggling to get the most out of German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz and the struggles on the road will be a worry. The Blues won this fixture last season 2-1 despite being 1-0 down after 83 minutes and they have lost just 2 of 17 Premier League games against Arsenal. Chelsea were beaten 2-0 at Southampton on Boxing Day last year but that was the first defeat on that date in 14 years. The 9/1 (New Customers) on a Chelsea win with 888Sport looks appealing given there recent dominance over Arsenal.
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