Back-to-back FA Cup champions Arsenal face Premier League victors and bitter London rivals Chelsea in the curtain-raiser to the league season, as the two meet to compete for the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium, on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger’s side have come off a very successful pre-season where they won the Emirates Cup, and overall scored 14 and only conceded 1. Chelsea’s pre-season has been perhaps more mixed, but the opposition has been tough and it’s important not to write them off as a result of this. The quality is still there for all to see.
Both teams are looking for a strong title challenge this season, and therefore a win against such major opponents would be a great start to a season of great expectations. Despite the so-called “irrelevancy” of the match, given the teams involved it promises to be anything but that.
The Blues will go into the 2015-16 season with a gold badge on their sleeves and in a well-earned way as well. The London side stayed top of the Premier League for a record-breaking amount of time, and as a result clinched their first Premier League title in over 5 years. A strong, balanced team has been built at Stamford Bridge, and will be formidable opposition to an Arsenal side who haven’t scored against Chelsea in 5 games, and haven’t beaten them in 4 years.
Perhaps though, the real battle lies between the two men in the dugout. Arsène Wenger and José Mourinho. The two managers have a long-standing rivalry – maximised by the fact the Frenchman has not beaten Mourinho in his 13 attempts – ever since the former Porto man came to England’s top tier, over a decade ago. This rivalry has been reignited in previous days, with the Chelsea boss accusing his rivals of attempting to “buy the title”, although Wenger himself has taken a relatively defensive stance this time round.
This Sunday will also mark the third time Cesc Fabregas will, most likely, make an appearance against his former club Arsenal, in a Blues shirt. Given the previous two times this situation has occurred, and the mixed response it gave, what the result will be a year on from the signing is an interesting one.
Two of the biggest clubs in England square up this weekend, and it promises to be a tight match, with some quality on show, that should provide a great introduction in what looks to be one of the greatest Premier League seasons to date.
Team news:
The Gunners will name a mostly full-strength line-up, with Petr Cech making his competitive debut against the club he spent 11 years with.
Danny Welbeck is still recovering from knee troubles, Tomas Rosicky is nursing a knee injury, and Alexis Sánchez is still on Copa America leave. A near complete squad for the French manager to choose from.
For Chelsea, it’s a full-strength squad to pick from. The only doubts that would’ve been raised from their final pre-season game against Barcelona on Wednesday, when Diego Costa went off with a hamstring problem and Gary Cahill with a suspected broken nose. However, José Mourinho has said in his pre-match press conference that the pair will be able to play on Sunday.
Probable Line-ups:
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerín, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Ramsey, Cazorla; Wilshere, Özil, Walcott; Giroud.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Falcao.
Prediction:
Both sides have a goal in them, but also have sides packed with quality and a defensive strength, so expect it to be a tight affair, especially as both teams transition to a competitive level for the new season, especially with the level of side involved on Sunday.
I predict a 1-1 score after 90 minutes, with Arsenal winning on penalties. Giroud as the scorer for Arsenal, and Oscar as the scorer in Blue.
It promises to be a great match – great managers, great players – and with an interesting mix of tactics and other variables, the result of this match is on a knife-edge.
