Football Bet of the Day: Gunners can edge London derby to keep title hopes alive

The sole Premier League fixture of the day looks set to produce an exciting encounter at the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, chasing a first Premier League title since 2004,  host a Chelsea side looking to atone for a heartbreaking FA Cup exit. 

Defeat to Aston Villa and elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich looked set to derail Arsenal’s season but a return to winning ways at Wolves at the weekend has helped keep their title ambitions alive, with the Gunners sitting top of the table on goal difference ahead of Liverpool. The Blues meanwhile suffered their own elimination from a cup competition last week against Arsenal’s fellow contenders Manchester City, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men missing a host of glorious opportunities in a semi-final tie they arguably should have won. 

The Gunners boast the third-best home record in the division and, despite tasting defeat when they last stepped out in front of their own fans, they should feel confident in securing three points against opponents who have found life difficult on the road this season. 

Chelsea have won just two of their last ten Premier League fixtures away from Stamford Bridge and both came against sides in the bottom half of the table - a tight 3-2 victory at relegation threatened Luton and a more routine 3-1 win at fellow London outfit Crystal Palace.  

One of the biggest issues for the Blues is their defensive fragility, with just two clean sheets on the road in all competitions this season while of the sides currently in the top half of the table, only West Ham have conceded more times than their 52 goals-against. 

Arsenal have been lethal in front of goal this season, with no side scoring more than their 77 goals this campaign and, with an almost fully fit squad on offer for Mikel Arteta, a strong attacking side will likely be named for this key encounter. 

However, despite conceding a division-best 26 goals in the league this season the Gunners may struggle to keep a clean sheet in this London derby. Three of the last four head-to-heads have seen both sides find the back of the net, including the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in October where Arsenal came back from two goals down.  

Chelsea have been involved in some high-scoring encounters over recent weeks, with their last six Premier League fixtures seeing at least four goals scored and, although they were wasteful at Wembley at the weekend, the talents up top could provide some joy. 

The Blues are expected to play their part in a nail-bitingly tight encounter. But, with three wins from their last four meetings with Chelsea at the Emirates in all competitions, Arsenal look the more enticing bet and should be backed to win this derby. 

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