When Arsenal travels to west London on Saturday for a tantalizing Premier League match, they will be attempting to become the first visiting team to win four league games in a row at Stamford Bridge since Watford in 1986. Chelsea used to be the talk of the British capital, but in recent times, they have struggled to get victories against the Gunners, who will be looking to continue their winning start to the season.
But under Mauricio Pochettino—who counts Mikel Arteta as one of his admirers—the team has been producing better results than ever before, and the former Tottenham manager has never dropped a game at home against Arsenal. If you can extend that run, he’ll believe Chelsea is making significant progress. What you need to know and how to watch the match are as follows:
looking at data
• Saturday, October 21st, 12:30 p.m. ET
• Address: London’s Stamford Bridge
• NBC on TV | Fubo live stream (free trial)
• Chelsea +210; Draw +240; Arsenal +125 are the odds.
narratives
Arsenal: Although Arteta isn’t one to hold back when praising other managers, he may never have had a more positive pre-game news conference than the one he gave to Pochettino, discussing how the former teammate of Paris Saint-Germain motivated him both as a player and as a coach. “He has been a major contributor to my success in Paris and has been one of the most influential people in my career,” Arteta said. “As a player, he took me under his wing and looked after me like a little brother.”
“He has been a role model for me since that day, not only when I was a player but as a manger as well, when I had to make the decision to leave playing and start my coaching career, he had a big say on that and I will always be grateful.” On Saturday at Stamford Bridge, where Arteta hopes to start his first-choice forward three of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka for the first time this season, this warmth will momentarily come to an end.
Chelsea: Prior to the most recent international break, when they defeated Brighton, Fulham, and Burnley, Chelsea’s fortunes had just started to improve after a sluggish start to 2023–24. The Blues have been producing more opportunities almost since the day Pochettino took charge, and if it weren’t for a few poor finishing efforts, they would have many more points than the 11 they presently have after eight games.
However, injuries have not helped either, and going into the London Derby, there are questions about Reece James’, Axel Disasi’s, and Nicolas Jackson’s health.
Expectation
Compared to their previous encounters, this confrontation between these two may be closer. A portion of the points seem quite likely. PICK: Arsenal 1, Chelsea 1.
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