First versus third, Mourinho versus Wenger, West London versus North London. Whichever way you look at this game it’s big.
And come the closing day of the season could be pivotal in which club is crowned champions of England.
Chelsea sit top of the pile at kick off, however Jose Mourinho and the fans are all too aware of how precarious their position is.
Manchester City are capable of opening up a three-point lead over the Blues by winning their games in hand. Defeat here would allow both Liverpool and Arsenal to leapfrog them as well should they both win their games in hand and if Liverpool can overcome Cardiff in the later kick off.
Not the safest of seats to be in, but not one Mourinho hasn’t been in before.
The back story to this game will tell tales of a heated and sometimes bitter rivalry between two of the leading coaches in the world of football.
With the “special one” dubbing his Arsenal counterpart a “specialist in failure” earlier this season there is no doubt Arsene Wenger would love to get a win that would not only boost his club’s title chances, but also let him leave Stamford Bridge having finally beaten his rival on the 11th attempt.
It’s been well publicised before this match that Wenger has never beaten Mourinho, having lost five and drawn five in their previous match-ups. However in the Premier League, the record is slightly more even with five draws from seven games between the two.
Whatever the final result you can be certain that these managers will have something to say about each other in those post game interviews.
Chelsea suffered a triple blow last weekend when the 1-0 defeat to Aston Vila put the reins for the title race into City’s hands.
It also cost them Ramires and Willian due to red cards.
These two join the injured Van Ginkel in only being able to watch the match this Saturday.
Ashley Cole may be available after returning from injury and David Luiz’s inclusion on the bench for the midweek clash against Galatasary mean he will be available for selection.
Wenger must be wondering what he has done to incur the wrath of the injury gods season after season.
With Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil out for this game, there is big pressure on the likes of Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky to produce the creative sparks, something Rosicky managed quite well with his stunning strike against Tottenham last week.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off during that game and it’s uncertain as to whether he will be a part of this weekend’s action.
January signing Kim Kallstrom could make his first appearance for the club after finally recovering from a back injury that has kept him out since signing for the Gunners.
I’ve been a fan of Kallstrom since his Lyon days and the Swede will add much needed depth to this midfield as well as being a class player able to strike the ball extremely well from a distance.
The Arsenal coach will need his whole team to put in a performance if they are to come away from this game with anything more than a worse off goal difference.
Stamford Bridge is a fortress where not many teams apart from Chelsea pick up points.
Arsenal are the only team in the top 10 that Chelsea have not played against at home this season, and they have beaten every other one.
They have dropped four points at home all season and kept clean sheets in their last four games there.
In front of their own fans Chelsea always seem to get the business done, some may not be pretty but at the end of the day three points is three points.
Home form is one of the reasons Chelsea find themselves right in the middle of the battle for the title.
Another reason is their performances against big teams. In eight meetings with the sides currently occupying European spots, Chelsea have negotiated five wins, two draws and only one loss.
Mourinho will be keen to maintain his side’s undefeated home status and will be willing to make his team grind out the result they need in any way possible.
Arsenal won’t be all doom and gloom in the dressing room though, they have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge more than any other visiting side in history and are joint top for the best away record this season.
They have taken 29 points from a possible 45 on the road this season, with 8 of the 16 points dropped coming from the last four games.
It has become an annoying habit for Arsenal fans that their team always seems to be a major contender in the title race early on before falling away from the main pack towards the end of the season.
A victory here would get Arsenal fans daring to dream that this season might be different. One sensational goal and impressive defending display could open up the Gunners fans to talk of a double, something many would have laughed away during pre-season.
Boosted by Cazola and Ramsey committing their future to the club if Wenger can get his team fired up and believing then he could very well be celebrating his 1000th game in charge with an unexpected victory.
As a fan of football I would like to see an Arsenal win to keep all four horses in the race to be champions.
If Chelsea win I can’t see Arsenal being able to come back and mount a serious challenge, although with the Blues and Man City still having the trip to Anfield ahead you never know.
My head has to prevail over my heart in the prediction for this game though, with Arsenal’s faltering performances away from home recently and Chelsea making a desperate push not to potentially fall further behind City, I’m going for a 2-1 home win.
No matter what the result Saturday afternoon promises to be a very entertaining one at Stamford Bridge.
With only one of Chelsea’s home games against top 10 teams having under 2.5 goals, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.
source: theroar.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 