10th Jan 2018 | League Cup
Another One For The 'Wenger Out' Brigade?
I expect a better Arsenal than on Sunday, but that's not saying much. The problem they have is that Chelsea are the better team and Conte would like a trophy in the bag almost as much as his counterpart.
Last January Arsenal suffered a damaging home defeat to Watford and followed that a few days later with another loss at Stamford Bridge. Arsene Wenger was subject to a touchline ban at the time. Is history about to repeat itself?
This time the Gunners are hurting after their thumping 4-2 defeat to Championship Forest on Sunday. That should ensure that Wenger plays a strong team this time but it doesn’t mean they won’t fall to another defeat. Conte will play many of his big players as well and Chelsea are worthing backing to win by a one goal margin at best odds of 16/5 with BetFair.
The Blues have dominated this fixture at home for a while (W7 D1 L1) and they were just about the better side even at the Emirates when the sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw a week ago. Had Morata been remotely clinical, they would have won, regardless of Bellerin’s injury-time screamer.
It’s important to remember that this is a two-legged contest so Arsenal and Wenger can still use a narrow defeat as a platform for hope. They may not have a choice.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 07:03 10th Jan, 2018 but subject to change