A clash of the Premier League titans is the main game of the week on Sunday. Chelsea, the number one team on the league table, travels to Emirates to face runner up Arsenal in a bout that could put the Blues within one game of clinching the Premier League trophy.
The two sides have faced off 12 previous times under the management of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger respectively. The Gunners are betting that home field advantage gives their squad an edge in the 13th meeting as the record has been hardly favourable to the team at Emirates.
Arsenal has salvaged 5 draws against Chelsea under Mourinho’s management. But the Blues hold a 7-5-0 record against the Gunners dating back to 2004, including the last meeting between the two sides on October 5th that ended with a 2-0 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
10 points separate the two sides on the league table and a win for Chelsea extends the lead to 13 points, with only 5 games left in the season. But aside from a 3-2 win over Hull City on March 22nd and a 2-1 win over Stoke City on April 4th, Chelsea has failed to score more than one goal per league game since the beginning of February.
That complicity could help Arsenal, whose players are on an incredible run that allowed the team to slide into second place on the standings. The Gunners have scored at least 2 goals in all league games, except for a 1-0 win over Burnley, dating back into February.
If Arsenal pulls off a home win, the gap between the two teams on the table narrows to 7 points and a true race to the finish is on. While Chelsea is undoubtedly the favourite to win the season, there are reasonable odds backing Arsenal keeping pace with the league leaders down the stretch.
All that depends on the outcome of this weekend’s meeting – tune in for opening kickoff on Sunday afternoon.