Chelsea FC make the short trip to Arsenal in week two, sitting second in the table and taking on a Gunners side that currently sits 17th. Granted it’s only one game in the books for 20/21, but Chelsea are expected to be Premier League title contenders this term while the Gunners are projected to struggle this season.
That obviously also means the Blues are heavily favored to win this one, so let’s take a look at what kind of lineup Thomas Tuchel might pick in the hopes of getting another three points from a London derby.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff Sun Aug 22, 430pm, Emirates Stadium
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal Chelsea
Referee: Paul Tierney
Chelsea FC Starting XI (3-4-2-1) Prediction vs Arsenal
Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Lukaku
Hakim Ziyech is still an injury doubt while Christian Pulisic is now sidelined by having returned a positive covid-19 test. That creates an opening in attack for somebody off the bench, and we’re thinking that’ll be Kai Havertz, the most expensive German player in history.
The rest kind of picks itself with Trevor Chalobah, who was living the dream with a goal scored in week one, getting a first team nod.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Arsenal 0
Going with the safe pick here, and if this result holds, the pressure on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is really going to rise.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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