There is pressure on every coach in every professional sport, but it might be fair to suggest that it is soccer where the greatest pressure exists. This is especially true in the top divisions in Europe, where winning and getting into the lucrative European competitions is considered a must for all the top teams. In the English Premier League, there are 4 Champions League spots available each year, and when the top teams fail to make it in, firings tend to follow.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was the latest to have the ax wielded over his head, while both Chelsea and Arsenal are starting this season with a new boss at the helm. It will be those fierce London rivals who will be meeting this weekend in a game that will have a huge impact on the battle for one of those top 4 spots. Chelsea is in there right now, with Arsenal sitting off the pace, so a win for both teams is almost considered to be a must. Let’s take a look which team is offering a better Soccer Betting value according to the latest English Premier League Odds.
Arsenal vs Chelsea English Premier League Odds & Pick
Two of the @PremierLeague‘s high-flyers meet tomorrow 💫 🕠 5.30pm kick-off (UK time) 🏟 Emirates Stadium #️⃣ #ARSCHE 🗞 Read our full match preview – featuring quotes, stats and pre-match videos
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) 18 de enero de 2019
- When: Saturday, January 19 at 12:30 PM EST
- Where: Emirates Stadium, London
- TV: NBCSN
- English Premier League Odds: Chelsea +126 (Total 3)
Team Records
- All: Arsenal 12-5-5 / Chelsea 14-5-3
- Home: Arsenal 8-2-1 / Chelsea 7-4-1
- Away: Arsenal 4-3-4 / Chelsea 7-1-2
- ATS: Arsenal 8-7-2 / Chelsea 6-8-3
- Over/Under: Arsenal 13-8-1 / Chelsea 12-9-1
Why bet on Arsenal?
The pressure to win is always big for Arsenal, but new boss Unai Emery may be given some time to make things work in his new job. He has to change an entire culture after taking over from Arsene Wenger in the summer, with the Frenchman leaving a distinct imprint at the club in his two decades in charge.
The early results for Emery were not great, but he got the ship under control nicely, steering Arsenal up the table and into contention for the top 4. The wheels have come off a little in recent weeks, though, with the Gunners picking up just 2 wins in their last 5 games. These two met at Stamford Bridge in the early part of the season, with Chelsea winning that one by a score of 3-2.
Expected Line-up
- 19-B. Leno
- 5-S. Papastathopoulos
- 6-L. Koscielny
- 20-S. Mustafi
- 31-S. Kolašinac
- 34-G. Xhaka
- 17-A. Iwobi
- 15-A. Maitland-Niles
- 29-M. Guendouzi
- 14-P. Aubameyang
- 9-A. Lacazette
Why bet on Chelsea?
The task at hand for new Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri is a whole lot tougher than what his Arsenal counterpart is facing. Chelsea has made a habit of firing managers quickly, with Antonio Conte losing his job just one season after delivering the Premier League title to the London giants. Chelsea is in the #4 spot right now, 6 points up on Arsenal. They got there by playing some solid defense, giving up just 17 goals through the opening 22 games.
They have scored just 40, though, which is the low number among the leaders. Chelsea is forced to rely a little too heavily on the work of Eden Hazard, as they do not really have a striker that is getting the job done on a regular basis.
Expected Line-up
- 1-Kepa
- 30-David Luiz
- 28-Azpilicueta
- 3-Marcos Alonso
- 2-A. Rüdiger
- 17-M. Kovačić
- 5-Jorginho
- 7-N. Kanté
- 22-Willian
- 10-E. Hazard
- 11-Pedro
Match Facts
- Arsenal have won just one of their last 14 league games against Chelsea (D5 L8)
- Only Liverpool (13) have kept more Premier League clean sheets this season than Chelsea (10)
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League London derbies at home (W9 D3)
- Chelsea are looking to win four consecutive Premier League away games within the same season for the first time since December 2016
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
The first meeting between these two teams in week 2 of the season was a bit of a shootout, with Chelsea winning that one 3-2. Arsenal is a whole lot more organized defensively than they were back then, so I’m not so sure that we are going to see a lot of goals here. I think a draw looks like the most likely outcome.
Score: Arsenal 1 – Chelsea 1
