Both Arsenal and Chelsea will head into the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg full of confidence.
The Gunners carry a one-goal lead into the second leg at the Emirates after winning the dramatic first leg 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
In the week leading up to the fixture, both clubs have experienced highs: Arsenal beat Leeds United 4-0, and Chelsea came from behind to beat West Ham.
Mikel Arteta will already be thinking about facing the Blues on Tuesday night, but he’s not the only one, as Andrea Berta would have taken a thing or two from Chelsea’s win against the Hammers.
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Andrea Berta comes out on top in Arsenal and Chelsea transfer saga
Arsenal and Chelsea have shared so many players that it would be useful for the clubs to remember that they’re fierce rivals, not business associates.
In the summer, the Gunners’ most controversial signing was Noni Madueke, whom Berta signed from Chelsea at Arteta’s request.
Matchday 24 proved that Arsenal made the right choice to sign Madueke, as it became clearer than ever that Chelsea’s options have been downgraded.
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Alejandro Garnacho’s performance against West Ham was nothing short of abysmal, losing possession 12 times in the opening half as well as being dribbled past twice.
It came as no surprise to see Garnacho hooked at half-time, as Chelsea’s replacement for Madueke looked woeful.
Garnacho’s display wasn’t, however, the only win for Berta on the night, as another of his transfer decisions was proven right at the Bridge.
Alongside the Argentine, Jorrel Hato was taken off at half-time after a disastrous performance at left-back.
Arsenal really wanted to sign Hato, but went with Cristhian Mosquera instead, which, judging by his cameo against the Hammers, was the correct call.
It was no coincidence that Hato came off, and Marc Cucurella had a match-winning influence, leaving Berta satisfied with his decision to avoid the ex-Ajax man.
Chelsea should be wary of what Arsenal did after beating Leeds
The transfer calls were one thing, but Chelsea got the win, and Arsenal will be most wary of that.
After returning from Leeds with three points, the Gunners wasted no time returning to training, as Declan Rice revealed.
When Rice was asked if he’d be supporting Spurs against Man City, the midfielder shared that training was resuming on Sunday.
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“Obviously, it’s a massive game, but we’re in training tomorrow [Sunday] because we’ve got a semi-final on Tuesday.”
Arteta means business, which the Blues will be aware of with a spot in the first cup final of the season on the line.
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