Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has urged his players not take Arsenal at face value ahead of the London derby on Saturday.
On paper, at this moment in time, the Gunners don’t stand a chance against the Blues. Arsenal have won just four games in the league all season, and despite a few flashes of quality in the second halves of our last two or three games, it hasn’t quite been enough.
Mikel Arteta’s men have to deal with Manchester City tonight, but the game on Saturday is arguably bigger as another loss in the Premier League could potentially push us down to the bottom three.
Chelsea should be licking their lips at the prospect of playing this Arsenal side, but Lampard has stressed that his side have to prepare right to get a win over us in the derby on Boxing Day.
He told The Standard: “We’ve been in decent form [in London derbies] but I don’t think we should be taking Arsenal at face value.”
“With Arsenal, I see a team of great quality, a class manager who are in a tough moment. That’s a really dangerous combination to go against, so we have to prepare right.”
Can Arsenal beat Chelsea on Saturday?
In terms of form and confidence, Chelsea are miles ahead of us at the moment. They will go into the game as favourites and it will be a shock if Arteta can get a win against Lampard this weekend.
However, playing a team like Chelsea suits us. They will dominate possession for most parts of the game and all we have to do is hang in there. They will leave gaps in behind and that will allow our forwards to counter-attack and hurt them – just like we did against Manchester City and Liverpool last season.
Arteta will be looking to can get one over Lampard on Saturday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved to be the difference when the two sides met a few months ago in the FA Cup final, and Arsenal fans will be hoping that their skipper will be fit to do the same again this weekend.
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