The latest London derby will take place on Sunday as Chelsea heads across town to face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. The teams have met 198 times across all competitions, with Arsenal taking 76 of the games, Chelsea winning 64 and 58 coming to an end via the draw. The rivalry dates all the way back to November 9, 1907, when Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 in a Football League First Division game. The teams most recently met in the UEFA Europa League Final near the end of May, with the Blues rolling to a 4-1 win over Arsenal. Currently, Chelsea sits in fourth place in the English Premier League table, while Arsenal is struggling, just six points clear of relegation. Arsenal has just had a change at manager, bringing in Mikel Arteta, so the Gunners could be set for a rise in the standings. Which team will prevail on Sunday? Don’t miss our sports betting preview for this renewal of a classic EPL rivalry of Arsenal vs Chelsea.
Arsenal vs Chelsea 2019 Premier League Odds & Game Prediction
Thank you for your support today 👏
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 26, 2019
Chelsea on Sunday. Let's go. ✊#WeAreTheArsenal 🔴 pic.twitter.com/FKVeSeLOTI
- When: Sunday, December 29, 2019, 9:00 am ET
- Where: Emirates Stadium, London
- TV: NBC Sports
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: NBCSports.com
- Soccer Odds: Arsenal 37/19 / Draw 14/5 / Chelsea 24/17
Why should you bet on Chelsea?
Chelsea delivered an emphatic win over Tottenham last weekend. The overconfidence from that win, as well as perhaps some excess consumption of egg nog on Christmas, may have led to the home stinker they laid on Thursday, falling to Southampton, 2-0. Michael Obafemi got the visitors on the board in the 31st minute, but the equalizer lay tantalizingly within range for the hosts until Nathan Redmond added some insurance for the visitors in the 73rd minute.
The match statistics showed that Chelsea applied a great deal of pressure, forcing eight corner kicks and launching 10 shots, to just five for Southampton (although both teams had three shots on target). Chelsea had possession for 67 percent of the match, which was a feisty one, as the teams combined for 19 fouls and five yellow cards (three for Chelsea). The Blues should come out on Sunday with some additional motivation after seeing so much frustration against a team that is 11 points below them in the table — three points below Arsenal.
Why should you put your money on Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta would probably not say that he was satisfied with Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Thursday, but there were a number of metrics in the match that should encourage fans as well as sports betting enthusiasts. The Gunners sent 17 shots toward the Bournemouth goal — although just two were on target. Bournemouth sent a dozen shots, with four on target. Arsenal controlled possession for 62 percent of the game and had an impressive 86 percent completion rate on their passes. The match was physical, as the teams combined for 18 fouls (with 13 on Arsenal) and eight combined yellow cards.
Another impressive statistic for Arsenal is that, in gaining the draw at Bournemouth, the Gunners came back from a 1-0 deficit in the first half, marking their 11th point gained coming back from a deficit. That leads all EPL teams. The fact that Arsenal has gotten into so many deficits is not the impressive fact; what does catch one’s eye is the number of times the Gunners have fought their way out of losing situations to take points. One would hope that, going forward, Arteta’s side will find themselves trailing in fewer matches, but this is a side that has some mental strength.
Final Score Prediction
Both teams should come out looking for more than what they got out of their last match. Arteta’s side should look to impress at home, while Chelsea should look to get off to a better start than they did against Southampton. Neither team has a rock solid defense, which means I like both teams to score — but neither team to win. I predict a final score of Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2.
