With 33 rounds remaining, today's clash between Chelsea and Arsenal certainly is not going to decide the league title. However, the London Derby is always a spicy affair, and has been made even more so due to the friction between Jose Mourinho and long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Up until recently, the Portuguese tactician had poked fun at his French counterpart, due to the latter's inability to defeat him in any of their prior meetings. That all changed this past August, when the Gunners finally got the better of the Blues in the Community Shield courtesy of a goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle of the first half.
Still, Mourinho has yet to lose to Wenger in the league play, and will be loath to do so at Stamford Bridge later today. The last time Chelsea lost to Arsenal at home was on October 29, 2011, when they were defeated 5-3 by their bitter city rivals - albeit this was against a team sans Mourinho on the bench.
Chelsea
If last term was one to celebrate for Blues fans, this one has been nothing short of frustrating. Shockingly, the reigning Premier League champions have conceded twelve goals from their first five games. Last season, it took them until matchday 15 to match that total. Players like Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Branislav Ivanovic - all of whom played a vital role in the team's success - have struggled to recapture the same form that helped Chelsea win their first title in five seasons.
So far, Mourinho's Chelsea will be coming into this crunch clash having lost their last two matches. The last time the two-time Champions League winner experienced such a downturn in form was back in May 2006 and he has yet to lose three league games in a row in his entire career. Should they lose today, it will be the first time since October 1999 that they have been unable to gain a single point from three successive matches.
Four points from their first quintet of matches have them looking up the table from a disappointing 17th-placed spot, and one would have to go way back to 1986 to recall a time that the team were faring worse (with only three points earned from the opening five matches). With three losses already, they have already equaled their entire total from their title-winning campaign last season and with Manchester City seeming so far away with a 11-point gap, supporters are growing increasingly agitated at the team's prospects to defend their league title.
Although they defeated Israeli side Maccabi in mid-week - making them the only Premier League side to win their Champions League tie - Chelsea could be without the services of two key players with Willian and Pedro (possibly) set to miss out due to injuries. Still, they have yet to lose to Arsenal in their last seven league meetings and certainly will do everything in their power to make sure that that record remains intact at the conclusion of today's match.
Arsenal
Meanwhile, Arsenal will be hoping to take advantage of their opponents' poor domestic form by snatching all three points at Stamford Bridge. Unlike Chelsea, the Gunners did not have much to smile about in midweek as they were defeated by Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb and saw Olivier Giroud dismissed after two petty yellow cards.
Nonetheless, Gunners fans will be still gleeful to see their team with over double the points of Chelsea - with ten in total - and the fact that they have acquired veteran keeper Petr Cech, who was vital in their Community Shield win this past August. Although it took Wenger 13 prior attempts, he finally got the result he had wanted and will hope that his team's solid away record will prove to be the edge they need in today's clash.
In their last eight away games, Arsenal have won seven and drawn just one. However, they were unable to score in their last four games against Chelsea, and out of their last seven, have scored just two goals. Interestingly, in the last five meetings across all competitions between these two sides, only one team has managed to score. There has never been an instance in which both Arsenal and Chelsea find the back of the net, with two of those games finishing as 0-0 draws and the other three resulting in Chelsea outscoring their opponents by eight goals to one.
Wenger will not be able to call on Jack Wilshere - who will be out for the long term after suffering a broken fibula - as well as Danny Welbeck and veteran midfielder Tomas Rosicky due to knee injuries. Nonetheless, Arsenal will be coming into this match having won their last two league games against Newcastle United and Stoke City and just as Chelsea is hoping to avoid a third straight loss, they will be seeking to make it three wins on the trot.
Who will win the showdown between these two London giants? Chelsea and Arsenal fans and general football neutrals will definitely not want to miss out out what will be an exciting encounter from start to finish!
And we at LiveSoccerTV.com, as always have you covered for the big clash later today. Make sure you bookmark our special Chelsea vs. Arsenal page for all viewing options and kick-off times for your specific location.
Chelsea vs Arsenal team sheets
Chelsea lineup: Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Pedro, Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa
Chelsea bench: Blackman, Terry, Mikel, Ramires, Loftus-Cheek, Falcao, Remy
Arsenal lineup: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Santi, Ozil, Ramsey, Alexis, Walcott
Arsenal bench: Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers, Arteta, Chamberlain, Giroud
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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