Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Influential Arsenal pair Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are fit to face Chelsea after overcoming respective hamstring and foot injuries.
New signing Mohamed Elneny awaits his debut, while the game comes too soon for fellow midfielder Francis Coquelin.
Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard has returned to training following a groin injury and could be available.
Diego Costa suffered a bruised shin against Everton last weekend but is expected to be fit.
Editor’s Note: 2nd vs 14th and Wenger vs Hiddink doesn’t quite have the same ring to it for this encounter but this London Derby is always a feisty one and there’s no reason why this Afternoon’s encounter at The Emirates should prove any different.
Leicester heaped more pressure on Arsenal yesterday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Stoke to open up a 3 point gap at the top. The Gunners know that a win would take them back top but I don’t expect Chelsea to be doing any favours for them today.
Last time out Arsenal were thankful for the perfomance of Petr Cech as his string of saves made sure that Arsenal managed to leave The Britannia Stadium with a share of the points after their encounter with Stoke. It’s fair to say they lacked an attacking edge without Mesut Ozil but the good news is that he is set to be welcomed back alongside long term absentee Alexis Sanchez.
The Gunners have drawn their last two matches on the road with draws at Liverpool and Stoke last week so they will be hoping a return to familiar soil also brings with it a return to winning ways. They play host to a Chelsea side who are still looking over their shoulders knowing that the threat of relegation hasn’t quite been eliminated yet.
Last Saturday saw them secure a point against Everton in quite fortunate circumstances thanks to John Terry’s clearly Offside 98th Minute Goal. I doubt John Terry nor Guus Hiddink cared whether it should have been disallowed or not, especially Hiddink as his unbeaten run since becoming Chelsea Interim Manager was preserved.
Hiddink has stabilised Chelsea since taking over but they have drawn 4 out of the 5 league games in which he has been in charge, so you could accuse of Hiddink setting up Chelsea firstly not too lose then going all out to win but when you’re at that end of the table it’s stability you need as that in turn builds confidence which then delivers results.
Diego Costa looks more like an actual Striker as of late than opposed to a pantomime villain and Guus Hiddink will be hoping he shrugs of an injury doubt to play this Afternoon as they back up options are few and far between. The last time these two sides met was a very contentious 2-0 win for Chelsea in which Costa was definitely the main protagonist as he managed to lure Gabriel Paulista into a well crafted trap and get the Brazilian Defender sent off. That was the turning point of the match and one of Jose Mourinho’s few victories this season before he got the sack, expect Costa if fit to be the focus of many boos from Arsenal fans and don’t be too surprised if he reverts back to type and the handbags start flying again.
I have a sneaky feeling Chelsea might get something out of this, for the tactical reasons stated above from Hiddink it could be a similar setup to the one they deployed at Manchester United over Christmas. Will Alexis Sanchez be at full capacity, Arsene Wenger will have to be careful not to ask too much of him just in case their is an injury repeat. Chelsea have nothing too play for in the League but that doesn’t mean they are going to rollover, I have a feeling it will be a third consecutive draw for both sides. A share of the points for me.
