Arsenal – Chelsea

Arsenal will beat one of their most fundamental rivals at their home arena

The London derby attracts special attention in the programme of the 29th round of the Premier League. The clash between Arsenal and Chelsea, even without the tournament component, is very important for the fans of both teams. According to polls, the fans of the Canaries consider the rivalry with Chelsea as the third most important after the confrontations with Manchester United and Tottenham, while the fans of the Blues identified the rivalry with Arsenal as the most crucial. However, the meeting between Arteta and Maresca is now fuelled by direct competition for the top of the table. "Blues" are in fourth position of the championship - on the verge of departure from the Champions League zone. A particular threat is the fact that Chelsea is backed up by a whole group of competitors, led by Manchester City. Arsenal are second with no practical chance to compete with Liverpool for the title and no guarantees of maintaining a place in the top-4 division. Bookmakers have identified the hosts as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.80 on their victory. On Wednesday, Arsenal quietly brought their Champions League rivalry with PSV to the quarter-finals. "The Canaries" drew 2-2 at home following a 7-1 away win. On the back of their success in Europe's elite tournament, Arteta's side have slumped badly in the Premier League. Last Sunday, the Gunners lost points for the third time in a row after failing to beat a limping Manchester United away. Against PSV, Arsenal played in economy mode to preserve human and physical resources for a quality game against Chelsea. "The Blues won their last two Premier League games, but they can hardly be proud of that. Firstly, their opponents were relegated Southampton and Leicester. Secondly, before this mini-series, Chelsea had lost three away games against Brighton (twice) and Aston Villa. Thirdly, the Blues' winless away series in national tournaments is already seven matches. In addition, Chelsea last won in head-to-head meetings with Arsenal in 2021. Since then, in seven official meetings, the Canaries have won five times with two draws. Let's bet on the victory of the home team.