Premier League leaders Arsenal will be looking to snap a two-game winless sequence at the Emirates Stadium when they host Chelsea in Tuesday’s tantalising London derby.
The Gunners ascended to the summit with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, just a couple of hours after the Blues were their own worst enemies in an FA Cup semi-final exit to Manchester City.
Chelsea’s lengthy recuperation period was evident against a Man City side wounded from their Real Madrid-inflicted Champions League heartbreak at Wembley, where the Blues were carving out opportunities at will in their bid to meet Coventry City or Manchester United in the showpiece.
However, a glut of chances came and went without Pochettino’s profligate troops finding the back of the net once – Nicolas Jackson in particular did his reputation no favours – and one deflected strike from Bernardo Silva was all it took to ensure that the Chelsea boss’ agonising wait for a trophy in English football will go on.
Chelsea may have had few problems finding the mark in the Premier League of late, but their incredibly wasteful Wembley display is cause for concern before a trip to the best defence the Premier League has to offer, and Palmer’s expected absence may resign some Blues fans to concede defeat already.
With minimal recovery time on both ends, Tuesday’s London derby should not be a goal-laden classic – especially with Arsenal losing their way in the final third recently – but the Gunners, who have opened the scoring in 25 Premier League games this term, can strike first and shut up shop to continue looking down on the other 19 teams in the division.
