Chelsea v Arsenal predictions: Blues can back Wembley win | Sports News

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Chelsea v Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday.

where to watch

Sky Sports/Football Main Event, 7.45pm Wednesday

Best bet

chelsea
1pt 17-20 Betfair, Betfred

Team News

chelsea
Mateo Kovacic (ankle), Callum Hudson-Odoi (calf) and Ben Chilwell (knee) remain sidelined.

Arsenal
Alexandre Lacazette (illness) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (match fitness) are uncertain and Kieran Tierney (knee) and Thomas Partey (thigh) are ruled out.

Match Preview

Arsenal are having a tough time at a crucial stage of the season and their losing streak could extend to four when they take on FA Cup runners-up Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The game is of greater importance to the Gunners, who are three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and need to make the most of their current game.

But Mikel Arteta’s young side have lost three league games on the rebound for the first time since August and appear to be caving under intense pressure from the front four.

Arsenal received a huge boost on Saturday lunchtime when Spurs succumbed to a surprise 1-0 home loss to Brighton, but within hours found themselves back at square one after a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat at Southampton .

Arteta’s side were largely dominant against the Saints, winning on shots 23-9, but lacked a clinical touch in attack and failed to score for the third time in five matches.

Alexandre Lacazette missed this game through illness, according to the club, but could be ready to play a role against the Blues. However, the 30-year-old Frenchman, who is out of contract this summer, admitted he was in talks with ‘a lot of clubs’ over a transfer and has had a poor season, scoring four goals in 25 league appearances .

A general lack of firepower has been a problem for Arsenal, who are the worst scorers in the top seven, and it seems certain that at least one new centre-forward will be high on their summer shopping list.

However, the quality of players they will be able to attract largely depends on their league standings, and the next few days could be crucial as the Londoners continue their short trip to Chelsea with Saturday’s home game against Manchester United.

Chelsea should have a less stressful end to the season, although they need to pick up a few more wins to be absolutely sure of making the top four.

Thomas Tuchel will want this to end as soon as possible, allowing him to focus on properly preparing for next month’s FA Cup final, which will likely determine their season’s valuation.

The Blues were knocked out of the Champions League last week and lost the blistering pace in the title race, but their tally of 62 points after 30 games is 11 more than at the same stage last season and that is no small feat given the off-field issues the club have been through.

Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final looked like a potential banana peel, considering it came just five days after their disappointing Champions League exit at the Bernabeu.

But Tuchel’s side handled it with the minimum of fuss and should follow that up with a seventh Premier League victory in eight games.

Key stat

Arsenal have lost their last three matches.

Internal information

chelsea

Penalty taker Jorginho
Free kick assistant mason mount
Aerial threat on set piece Antonio Rudiger
card magnet Marcos Alonso

Arsenal

Penalty taker Alexandre Lacazette
Free kick assistant Martin Odegaard
Aerial threat on set piece Gabrielle
card magnet Xhaka Granite

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FIRST PUBLICATION AT 3:15 PM, APRIL 19, 2022