Arsenal and Chelsea played out a pulsating 2-2 draw at The Emirates last week, and these bitter rivals will meet again in a Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.
Last week’s game had the lot: goalmouth action, ferocious tackling, controversial refereeing decisions, a contentious penalty, a last gasp equaliser and a share of the spoils. Neutrals will hope for another open, exciting clash this week, but fans of these London teams will be biting their nails to the quick if we see a similar number of chances.
When Roman Abramovich first parked his tank in London and started firing £50 notes at rivals, Arsenal were the dominant force in English football. They continued to dominate Chelsea for the early stages of the Russian’s reign, but the Blues soon overwhelmed Arsenal. For years Chelsea dominated the head-to-heads against the Gunners, but it seems as though the tide might finally be turning. Last season Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-0 at The Emirates, only to lose 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture.
The Blues were crowned Premiership champions, while Arsenal finished outside the top four for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s 21-year tenure. Chelsea were therefore overwhelming favourites to simply obliterate Arsenal in May’s FA Cup final, but the Gunners produced a display of vitality, energy, hunger and passion, seemingly out of nowhere. Arsenal won 2-1, but the scoreline could easily have been greater. In the 2017/18 curtain raiser, Arsenal pipped Chelsea to the Community Shield, and the teams have drawn twice in the league.
The fixture on January 3 was a fascinating encounter. Alvaro Morata missed several glorious chances, while Thibaut Courtois was an absolute titan in the Chelsea goal. His finger-tip save to divert an Alexis Sanchez piledriver onto the post was a thing of beauty, and for a large period Arsenal could not find a way past the giant Belgian. But they took the lead when Jack Wilshere blazed in an unstoppable strike, and looked like going on to win comfortably.
Then Anthony Taylor awarded Chelsea the softest penalty you are ever likely to see, and Eden Hazard equalised from the spot. Arsenal fans were apoplectic, but Chelsea supporters pointed out that Wilshere should have been sent off before he banged in the opener. Marcos Alonso gave the Blues a 2-1 lead and Arsenal looked beaten, only for right-back Hector Bellerin to pop up with a wonder strike in the dying seconds. There was still time for Chelsea to pour forward and hit the woodwork through Davide Zappacosta, and fans could be forgiven for remaining breathless after the final whistle.
If this Carabao Cup tie is half as exciting, we will be in for a treat. A lot depends on the starting lineups, and it might be worth checking them before placing a bet on this game. But both teams to score and over 2.5 goals looks a really good option at 21/20 with Marathon Bet and evens with William Hill, Coral, Sky Bet and Boyle Sports. Arsenal are simply abysmal when it comes to defending at present. If Wenger swaps Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding for Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, it might make them a bit more solid, but the Gunners are always likely to concede. They are, however, extremely dangerous going forwards, largely because they take such risks, but also because they still have several talented attackers.
Chelsea are heavy favourites, 4/5 with several of BMR’s green-listed bookmakers, and that may tempt some punters, but it is worth remembering they have not beaten Arsenal in their last four attempts. It is a two-legged tie, so the teams might not take huge risks if it is all-square in the second period and that makes the draw look interesting at 14/5. Arsenal are a massive 4/1 with Unibet, but that seems a little ambitious for this away leg. Their fans would probably be happy with a draw, while Chelsea will be desperate for a win, but there is a danger they will cancel one another out once again, so a specials market like both teams to score and ‘over’ 2.5 goals might be a better option.
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