It’s back to back London derbies for Chelsea as Boxing Day brings a trip to really reeling right now Arsenal. The temperature on the seat of manager Mikel Arteta is warming up. The home win over West Ham United came with a steep price as first choice left back Ben Chilwell had to leave early, due to an ankle injury.
The subsequent scan did not reveal a break or fracture or any sign of a serious issue, but there might have been some minor ligament damage done. Stamford Bridge is hopeful he won’t be sidelined for too long, but he’s doubtful for the Arsenal clash, and it wouldn’t be surprising if we don’t see him in action again until the calendar flips over to 2021.
Boxing Day London Derby FYIs
Arsenal Team News, Starting XI Prediction: go here
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Kick off: 5:30pm GMT, Sat Dec 26, Emirates Stadium
TV (US)/Online: NBC/NBCSports.com
Odds: Arsenal win +280 Draw +260 Chelsea win -110
“He turned his ankle and tried to carry on but it was too painful,” said Chelsea manager Frank Lampard after the win over the Irons.
“We’ll have a scan tomorrow to try and see how bad the injury is. We’ll update after.”
The first choice full back on the other side, Reece James, is a doubt for this clash too. He was rested on Monday night after undergoing a scan over the weekend for a knee problem.
“Reece and Chilly have been doing really well, we hope their injuries are not that bad and will be in and around the games over Christmas. So we’ll see.”
Finally, it was said that midfield maestro Hakim Ziyech was to be involved versus the Hammers, but he was left out of the squad entirely. Perhaps he is not fully match fit yet, having recovered from a hamstring injury recently.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has also recently recovered from a hamstring problem, and having gone an unused sub versus West Ham, we could see him play some major minutes in this one.
Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2
Did we mention that Arsenal are in dire straits right now? Still we could see the players getting up for this one at home, as it’s Chelsea, and they’ll want to make sure the Blues don’t come away with all three points.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “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, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.