Arsenal come in to manager Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game in charge on the back of a 1-0 win over North London rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane last Sunday.
The match on Saturday will be chance for the Gunners to really prove their title credentials, as they face top of the table Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
However, Wenger is yet to beat Jose Mourinho, while Mourinho is unbeaten at home in the league with Chelsea. Could Wenger’s 1000th game change this?
Team news
Arsenal’s match winning midfielder Tomas Rosicky is a doubt for the game at Stamford Bridge, and will have a late test on his ankle to see if he makes the match.
Ryo Miyachi also joins the long-term injury list, with a hamstring injury which has now ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Jack Wilshere (foot), Theo Walcott (knee), Mesut Ozil (hamstring) and Ramsey (thigh) are all still missing, as is the unfortunate Abou Diaby (ankle).
January signing, Swedish international Kim Kallstrom could be back from injury to feature in Arsenal’s squad for the first time since joining from Spartak Moscow. Other than that Arsenal have a fully fit squad to face their London and title rivals.
Chelsea news
Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea sit at the top of the table despite not being the same force as they were during his initial tenure at Stamford Bridge. However, the blues will be rearing to go for this one after succumbing to a loss at Aston Villa last weekend.
Chelsea will be without both Willian and Ramires through suspension, after both picked up red cards in their defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
Ashley Cole is also out through injury, with a knee injury putting him out of contention.
Nemanja Matic and Mohammed Salah are both available again after missing out in the midweek Champions League clash due to their ineligibility.
Expected Line-up
Szczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Arteta, Flamini; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Rosicky/Podolski; Giroud
This will be a very tough game for both sides, but especially Arsenal, due to Jose Mourinho’s sides being notoriously difficult to break down at home. I would also expect a low-scoring game due to both side facing difficulties up front, with their strikers not being able to regularly find the net.
However, with this being Wenger’s 1000th game in charge, and following Arsenal’s amazing defensive display last weekend, I believe that Arsenal can just sneak a victory here.
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