Chelsea host Arsenal tomorrow afternoon which could have significant consequences depending on the outcome of the game.
The Gunners are currently nine points adrift of the Blues having been beaten at home to Watford on Tuesday night. Fortunately for Arsenal, Antonio Conte’s side dropped two points after drawing 1-1 away to Liverpool the same night.
A loss for Arsenal would surely end their title challenge, while a win or draw will leave some of the fans still hoping they can catch Chelsea.
With that being said, courtesy of OPTA, here are 12 things you should know about the two sides prior to kick-off:
1. Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September was their heaviest against them since April 1997 (also 3-0). They were previously unbeaten in nine Premier League games against Arsenal (W6 D3).
2. Arsenal have not done the double over Chelsea in the same season since 2003/04 – the season in which they last won the Premier League.
3. The last Chelsea manager to fail to win either of his first two league games against the Gunners was Jose Mourinho in 2004/05, while the last Chelsea boss to lose both was Glenn Hoddle in 1993/94.
4. Arsene Wenger has lost his last four league games at Stamford Bridge. The only away ground where he’s lost more in succession is Old Trafford (2009-2013).
5. The 3-0 loss to Arsenal in September was Conte’s heaviest league defeat since October 2010 when he was manager of Siena (0-3 vs Empoli).
6. Arsenal scored more goals in the first half against Chelsea in their last Premier League meeting than they had in their previous nine clashes with the Blues.
7. The Gunners have had three players sent off in their last three Premier League games at Stamford Bridge (Gabriel, Santi Cazorla and Kieran Gibbs).
8. Theo Walcott was the last Arsenal player to score at Stamford Bridge, in January 2013 in a 2-1 loss. He also scored in Arsenal’s last Premier League win there, 5-3 in October 2011.
9. Diego Costa has scored in two of his four league games against Arsenal and has been booked in the other two.
10. The Gunners have won three of their four Premier League London derbies this season (W3 D1 L0) – this after winning just one of their eight in 2015-16 (W1 D4 L3). They are the only team still unbeaten in London derbies this season.
11. Chelsea have won eight successive Premier League home games – their best run in the competition since a sequence of 10 wins that ended in January 2015. The aggregate score in these eight games is 24-3 in Chelsea’s favour.
12. Arsenal have lost as many of their last eight Premier League games as they did in their previous 30 in the competition (3).
