Arsenal will have another crack this weekend of ending their woeful record against Chelsea. The Gunners haven’t beaten their London rivals since Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick in a 5-3 victory at Stamford Bridge back in October 2011. And to make matters worse, Arsenal haven’t managed to score a goal against Chelsea at the Emirates since Gervinho netted back in September 2012.
If Arsenal were to end this run against Chelsea this Saturday evening, then it would send a big message out to the rest of the league and the teams around them. Arsene Wenger’s side are currently five points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City, and know full too well that defeat on Saturday to Chelsea could mean that a title bid would be all but over.
The question still remains with what team Wenger will opt to go in an attacking sense? If Olivier Giroud is fit, then does he come back in to the eleven? Does Lucas Perez start after his brace in the week? Or will it be Alexis Sanchez again after his impressive recent run?
One thing that is for certain on Saturday is that there will be a lot quality on display. Here are some of the key battles where the game will be either won or lost for Arsenal at the Emirates.
