Saturday 24th September 2016 Emirates Stadium KO 17:30 Live on BT Sport 1
So the first big London match of the season and boy do we need to put a result in against this lot. A team who we haven’t scored or beaten in such a long time, it’s beyond a joke.
Under Conte, they look well organised. They lost to Liverpool, but shown great character to comeback and beat Leicester this evening in the cup. It’s going to be a real close contest. We seem to be gathering a bit of momemtum, but we need to put up a better display than we did against Liverpool on the opening day of the season.
If ever there’s a time to end this damn awful run against them, now’s the time to do it. Not just for the team, not just every Arsenal fan, but especially do it this Saturday please, as it’ll be my birthday and nothing would please me more, than to win and get these 3 points :rosicky: So while my hunch is, it’ll be a 2-2 draw, I do hope we can sneak a win.
See costa today with Leicester…gonne be one of our players i reckon when we face them. That fucker always gets away with shit with us and we always get someone sent off. I am thinking draw but hope and pray it doesnt get worse than that!
We’ll play the same team as against Hull. I dont see us changing it. Not sure its worth changing the Iwobi Sanchez Theo front three. Realistically Cazorla is going to start and Coquelin is a perfectly fine option against the big teams in early Xhaka days.
Confidence is great atm, two awesome goals from Xhaka and a brace from Lucas, Ox scored as well and we’ve beaten two sides (not world class whatever that means) comfortably by scoring 8 goals and conceding just one. Mental strength at it’s very best and Chelsea just played 120 minutes against a tough and stubborn Leicester, they will be tired.
I hate to say really, but I think if Sanchez starts upfront and Xhaka isn’t in the team then we’ll be a lot more likely to lose it.
I understand Wenger wants to give Xhaka a comfortable tradition in, but Shkodran doesn’t appear to need it…
We’ve been playing (fairly) well but it’s teams like Watford, Hull, Southampton at home…Burnley, Middlsebrough and Sunderland coming up. I’d expect 16 or 18 points from those if we’re serious about getting even close to the top.
We’ll have the majority of the possesion, but we’re not going to be able to find a way through their defense; Chelsea running our midfield and fullbacks (in possesion) of the pitch and crushing us in transition, 0-2/0-3 Chelsea.
It’s a good time to play them.
We’ve scored a few goals in the last couple of games, although against poor opposition, and they didn’t play well in their last game, so being at home we should win this.
It will be close and I think Chelsea will score but I’ll go for us to win by one goal and Xhaka and Walcott to score.
Two of my Chelsea mates are going to the match,and now that I haven’t got a season ticket they asked if I wanted to try and rope in a couple of gooner mates to watch it in a pub, and then meet them afterwards to go drinking in a neutral/non football pub.
Think I might give it a swerve tbh. Last thing I need is to be sat in a pub with two smug rentboys after they beat us
:rosicky: So while my hunch is, it’ll be a 2-2 draw, I do hope we can sneak a win.
