Frank Lampard's Chelsea will be out to vanquish their arch-rivals Arsenal in a much-anticipated contest on Sunday (December 29, 2019).
Like the Blues, Arsenal will also take the field with a former player on the sideline. Mikel Arteta was recently appointed as the replacement for Unai Emery and the Gunners produced a promising performance in his first game in charge, a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth away from home.
Chelsea have been impressive away from home and Lampard will be hoping his team can continue that form against their rivals. Adding to Arsenal's misery will be their form at home. The Blues have won six out of their nine away games this season whereas Arsenal have been sub-par at the Emirates Stadium, taking just nine points out of a possible 27.
The standings also tell a similar tale. Courtesy of a fantastic performance against Tottenham Hotspur away from home last week, the Blues were able to maintain their fourth spot on the table, accumulating 32 points. Arsenal have 24 points and find themselves at the 11th position.
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The relief for Arsenal fans will the energy that Arteta would be able to bring in what has been a dull dressing room. Players such as Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil will be expected to play a crucial role if Arsenal are to turn their season around. A win against Chelsea under their new manager could be an excellent way to kick-start an incredible turnaround for the London-based club.
Things aren't rosy at Chelsea as well as they have had their own difficult issues to solve. The Blues lost to Southampton in their Boxing Day fixture, adding to their struggles at Stamford Bridge this season. They looked lost in the attacking third and were caught out at the back, with a three-man backline losing out against their visitors' 4-4-2.
Lampard has placed immense trust on young players at Chelsea but a transfer ban enforced for the summer meant they were unable to properly replace their star player Eden Hazard who joined Real Madrid earlier this year. The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic cleared doubts about whether they can continue to keep playing for the Chelsea first team but the defence has sorely lacked leadership and organization.
Arsenal will be looking to take full advantage of a messy Blues backline, with the likes of Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette blessed with plenty of pace and technique that can pose a serious threat in the attacking third.
If Chelsea can start the game well with an all-guns-blazing press as they employed at Tottenham, Lampard will be confident to stifle the hosts' threat and pin them to their backfoot. Arsenal have succumbed to pressure more than once but will that story under the new leadership?
Kick Off is at 10 PM.
