International Champions Cup: Arsenal and Chelsea to meet in Premier League preview

Oddshark

London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are set to meet in Dublin as their International Champions Cup campaigns draw to a conclusion. And despite this only being a pre-season friendly, the fact that both clubs find themselves with new coaches in the dugout ahead of the new Premier League season means that the two new bosses will surely want to lay down a marker of intent for the months ahead.

Unai Emery looks to be already having a positive effect on the Gunners, with his side thrashing French champions PSG 5-1 in their last outing. Chelsea, meanwhile, come into this one on the back of a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan.

First things first

Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting agency and get your account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the new Premier League season just a couple of weeks away, there should be plenty of promotions and special offers for you to take advantage of.

Where should I be investing my money?

Looking at one of the simplest bets you can make – based purely on the outcome of the match – then it is Arsenal who come into the game as the slight favourites to pick up the victory. You can more than double your money by backing the Gunners to win this friendly game at a price of 2.37, according to Oddsshark.

Meanwhile, you could almost triply your investment should Chelsea pick up a win with their price slightly higher at 2.80. A draw is priced the highest of all, at 3.50, a result which, in the circumstances, would leave neither manager particularly pleased.

However, given the fact this is a pre-season friendly and neither team has really had a chance to find any sort of rhythm, you may feel that it is a safer bet going for the “Double Chance” option, allowing you to choose two possible outcomes for the match rather than just one. Given that the bets are less specific the odds are therefore shorter, and you can back either an Arsenal win or a draw at just 1.40.

A Chelsea win or a draw sees that price rise to 1.53. And you can back either side to win this match at just 1.28.

Looking at the head to head record between the two clubs, it is Arsenal who have had the better of this fixture over the years. The Gunners have won 76 matches against Chelsea, with the Stamford Bridge outfit winning 62 games against Arsenal – another 57 encounters ended in a stalemate.

Trying to predict the exact score line of any game is a tough ask, particularly in a pre-season friendly, but given Arsenal’s display against PSG you would have to think they can win this game as well. A 2-1 win for the Gunners is priced competitively at 9.50, thereby offering close to a ten-fold return on any investment.

Maurizio Sarri however has not been given the same amount of preparation time as Emery at Arsenal. Nevertheless, he has been able to bring in Jorginho form former club Napoli who will look to pull the strings in the middle of the park.

With both teams looking to play a bold, open style of football we could well see goals in Dublin this Wednesday (1 August). Over 2,5 goals in the game is priced short at just 1.61, while you could more than double your money if there are under 2.5 goals at a price of 2.25.

Meanwhile, on the same day and in the same competition, Portuguese giants Benfica meet French outfit Lyon. Benfica have a crucial Champions League qualifier coming up against Fenerbache and this match will be vital for their preparation.

The Portuguese side managed a very credible 1-1 draw with Italian league champions Juventus in their previous encounter and come into this game as the slight favourites to record a win. Benfica are at 2.50 to win the match, with Lyon, who beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in their last game, slightly higher at 2.70 – a draw is priced higher at 3.40.

Benfica have been in pre-season training longer and are likely to come into the match in better shape than their French counterparts. A comfortable 2-0 win for the Portuguese is priced at 13.00, meaning a US$5 bet would lead to a US$65 pay out.

Odds: Arsenal (2.37), Chelsea (2.80), draw (3.50)
           Benfica (2.50), Lyon (2.70), draw (3.40)