Televised Premier League Preview: Chelsea v Arsenal

Premier League / Richard Walker / 29 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

All is not what it should be at Arsenal but that doesn't mean they will be incapable of rallying themselves for Sunday's London derby, says Richard Walker.

If football was this easy, we'd all be rich...

League leaders, 10 points clear of Sunday tea-time visitors, host club in turmoil beaten in last two league matches. Home win, right? Well probably, but "probably's" a word that never won anyone money.

For that's the game we're in here. Trying to piece together the likely storyboard for Sunday afternoon's London derby - well enough to make sure our investments have a real chance of success.

Both sides have an equal number of influential players missing. Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien (injured) and Didier Drogba (suspended) won't feature for Chelsea while Arsenal will definitely be without Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Abou Diaby and, perhaps most crucially, Theo Walcott, who I might've fancied to cause the Blues problems out wide.

You could, of course, lay Arsenal to death here, with the belief that they'll crumble. But Arsene Wenger's side proved against Man United that they can handle themselves when all's not as it should be. So I'm suggesting The Draw should be backed at a ripe [3.55], ignoring the chance to avail of [1.88] about a Chelsea win or [5.2] for a Gunners' triumph.

The Draw at Half-Time, a [2.28] chance, is a must-include for my money. As is Under 2.5 goals at [1.82]. Overs is [2.18] to back but I don't see either team - and especially Arsenal - committing themselves often enough to leave the space for a hatful of clear-cut chances. In fact, Under 1.5 goals might be worth backing at [3.35].

0-0 is surprisingly long, in my opinion, at odds of roughly [10.0] and I would strongly suggest you consider this Correct Score option. It might just be one of those utterly forgettable 90 minutes that the 'Big Four' fixtures do more than occasionally throw up. 1-1 is at [8.0] and, while it would bust the tentative Under 1.5 goals suggestion, would still yield a return on the 2.5 goals choice.

If there are to be goals, then the most likely protagonist is the in-form Nicolas Anelka. He rates a [2.52] chance To Score - around [6.5] for the First Goal - and I wouldn't put you off either but perhaps, at a point longer in the To Score list, Frank Lampard (free-kicks, penalties, long-range shooting, rebounds) might be a better option. For Arsenal, the likely return of Emmanuel Adebayor offers them more goal threat but it'd be hard to back a visiting goalscorer with any real confidence.

I'm really quite uncertain as to whether I'll be proved right or entirely wrong come 4pm on Sunday. The match has the potential to be a thriller and, yes, Big Phil Scolari is a lot more attack-minded than his predecessor. But Wenger won't want to lose and might see a point as a job well done. We'll see.