Arsenal v Chelsea @ Emirates Stadium
Sunday, April 26, 2015 @ 4pm
Chelsea travel to Arsenal on Sunday knowing a win will effectively secure their first Premier League title since 2010.
Victory would take them 13 points clear of the second-placed Gunners and if they were to bag another three points at Leicester on Wednesday, the title is theirs.
While Jose Mourinho has never lost a game against Arsene Wenger, the hosts are in lethal form this calendar year, winning more points, 33, than any other top-flight club.
Although they are on an eight-game winning streak, Arsenal have failed to score in their last four meetings with the league leaders.
With Chelsea scoring first in all 20 of their league matches in 2015, the statistics suggest they will leave the Emirates in jubilant fashion.
In recent games, Mourinho has adopted a much more defensive approach, utilising his side’s formidable back line to withstand onslaughts and counter on the break.
That tactic worked against Manchester United last week, with Eden Hazard’s superb goal the only difference between the two, despite United’s overwhelming dominance of possession.
While not to the same extent as Chelsea, Wenger’s side have also become more defensive-minded in recent games, particularly in midfield with the use of Francis Coquelin, a change which has been integral to their recent success.
With the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, who has 10 goals in his last 12 games, they also have the attacking firepower to seriously trouble Chelsea’s defence.
The game will write another chapter in a fierce rivalry between the two managers and the clubs as a whole.
Mourinho and Wenger almost came to blows on the sideline last year and a recent A-Team style prank played by Chelsea fans in North London will only stoke the flames.
Cesc Fabregas will have another opportunity to haunt his former club after Wenger turned down a buy-back option for the Spaniard who played at Arsenal for eight years.
With all three of his strikers fighting injuries, Mourinho will hope either Didier Drogba or Loic Remy will be able to start while Diego Costa hopes to make the bench.
Last week, Chelsea were criticised for celebrating their win over United as if they had just won the league. If they were to win and do the same at the Emirates, no one could blame them.
Star man: Eden Hazard
Danger man: Olivier Giroud
Last meeting: October 5 2015 @ Stamford Bridge, Chelsea 2–0 Arsenal
Feature image courtesy of Brent Flanders, with thanks
