SM
Man City vs. Chelsea: 19 hrs 1 min
Upcoming predictions and previews
AL
Premier League | Gameweek 23
Jan 19, 2019 at 5.30pm UK
 
CL

2-0

Lacazette (14'), Koscielny (39')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Combined XI: Arsenal vs. Chelsea

:Headline: Combined XI: Arsenal vs. Chelsea: ID:347071: from db_amp
Ahead of Saturday's Premier League showdown between Arsenal and Chelsea, Sports Mole selects its strongest combined XI from both squads.

Two teams intent on finishing in the top four go head to head on Saturday when Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium.

Six points currently separate the two sides in the Premier League table, with Chelsea sitting fourth and Arsenal languishing on the other side of the all-important dotted line.

The result of this weekend's showdown could have a huge bearing on which side will be playing in Europe's top-tier competition next season, and for Arsenal in particular it is approaching must-win territory.

Here, Sports Mole selects its strongest combined XI using only the players available for Saturday's match.



Chelsea dominate this XI with nine representatives to Arsenal's two, including the entire back five - starting with Kepa Arrizabalaga's selection ahead of Bernd Leno and Petr Cech in goal.

Arsenal's defensive injury woes are beginning to ease, but they continue to look shaky at the back and have conceded almost double the number of goals Chelsea have this term. The likes of Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are all capable players, but judging by form this season it is a fairly easy choice for David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger to fill in at centre-back.

It is a similar story on the flanks, where Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta remain some way clear of their Arsenal counterparts Sead Kolasinac, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin.

While it is a predominantly Chelsea XI, we are not choosing the 'Sarri-ball' 4-3-3 formation, but rather a 4-2-3-1 with pass-master Jorginho and the irrepressible N'Golo Kante acting as the holding midfielders. Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira certainly deserve a mention having been some of Arsenal's better performers this season, but both Jorginho and Kante are among the best at what they do in the entire league.

Speaking of the best in the league, Eden Hazard has been hailed by many as the Premier League's most talented player, and while he has been playing as a false nine in recent weeks, in this team he slots in at number 10 and would have something of a free role.

Willian joins him in that trio behind the strikers, with Pedro, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi among the players to miss out. On talent alone Mesut Ozil would make this XI, but he has fallen out of favour with Unai Emery and if he cannot even make the Arsenal team then he is not in serious contention for this one either.

There are finally a couple of Arsenal representatives up front, though. Whereas Chelsea are unhappy with their striker choices, Arsenal have two of the highest quality.

Alexandre Lacazette has been in and out of the team of late but remains a sharp marksman in the penalty area, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's scoring record since joining the Gunners a year ago is up there with the best.

amp_article__347071 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-01-26 15:10:24:
html db last update - 2021-02-28 14:37:52 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .