Are Arsenal in a relegation battle? Chelsea would certainly relish the chance to push their old rivals deeper into the mire when they travel to the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day.
Without a win in their last seven, Mikel Arteta's side are just four points clear of the relegation zone in 15th, and their struggles offer perspective to Chelsea's recent wobble that saw them lose to Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. They put that right with a convincing win over West Ham; a second win on the bounce against London rivals would re-establish their credentials for a top four finish or better whilst possibly marking Arsenal as a side seriously at risk of a stressful end to the season.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 26
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium -- London, United Kingdom
- TV: NBC
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Arsenal +290; Draw +260; Chelsea -105 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
Storylines
Arsenal: There is only one storyline at Arsenal now, the future of Arteta. The Arsenal hierarchy are desperate to see him succeed and have invested a great deal of personal capital in him since the FA Cup win in August.
Yet the increasingly combative Spaniard gives the impression of a manager desperately searching for anything to kick start his side, constantly chopping and changing teams whilst reacting to disciplinary issues in game. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shaking off a calf strain would certainly help.
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Chelsea: Frank Lampard insists it is no cause for concern but the Chelsea boss would surely like to see Timo Werner back among the goals sooner rather than later. He has not found the net in 10 games for club and country and missed a string of promising chances in the West Ham victory.
"The positive thing is that he's getting chances in games, using his attributes to get in the box and showing his speed," Lampard insisted. "He is getting lots of chances and he will score a lot of goals for us."
Prediction
The form book may go out of the window in derbies but even if that is the case Chelsea will still have a better quality of players than Arsenal. PICK: Chelsea (-105)
