1: Gunners won Community Shield match 1-0
2: Chelsea: four-match PL clean sheet
streak vs. Arsenal
3: Arsenal leads all-time 72W-54D-59L
Chelsea trusts
its midweek Champions League win helps encourage its form into a marquee
match-up with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge early Saturday morning (Watch live,
7:45 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra).
The Blues
handled Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Wednesday, but have only four points through five
Premier League matches this season. Arsenal has the inverse form, falling to
Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday but sitting fourth in the PL with 10 points.
It’s nothing
surprise that the adversary bosses see Saturday’s match different. Arsenal’s
Arsene Wenger observes a chance to build off Derby momentum from the Aug. 2 win
at Wembley, while Jose Mourinho thinks otherwise.
“It’s just Chelsea against Arsenal,” Mourinho
said. “It’s a match we want to win. If it’s a pre-season friendly match it’s
the same, I want to win.”
Mourinho would
go on (see below) to slyly betray his point a bit, specifying Chelsea’s
predominance of Arsenal in the Premier League. And does “preseason friendly”
mention nod towards the Shield?
What they’re
saying
Mourinho on the singular significance ofthis match: “I want to
seclude the match from every setting. Our incredible record against Arsenal
doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter they haven’t beaten Chelsea for seven matches
in the Premier League. It doesn’t matter they beat us in the Community Shield.”
Wenger on the Community Shield win overChelsea: “For me, what
is essential is that Arsenal wins games,” he said. “It can some of the time be
a mental block for the players or the team when they do not win against
specific teams. On that front it was good [to win the Community Shield]. What
you expect from these sorts of games is [that they are] constantly high
intensity, full commitment and of course you want to get ready for that and
play with a full focus.”
Prediction
Is there a
better spot for Eden Hazard to snap out of his funk? Look for a lot of
innovative engaging here. Arsenal may expect Chelsea to “park the bus”, and
it’s protected to accept the Gunners will find a way past John Terry and AsmirBegovic at some point. But look for Chelsea to have only somewhat more
desperation, home field favorable position and a little more cutting edge.
Blues, 2-1 (But if Arsenal scores first at the Bridge, look out).