Match Day Thread Arsenal vs. Chelsea 2016/17 Official Match Thread

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Venue: Emirates Stadium
Saturday, September 24th 2016
KO Time: 17.30 BST

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Head to Head Against Chelsea:
Played: 173
Won: 67
Drawn: 49
Lost: 57
Goals For: 241
Goals Against: 229
Goal Difference: 12

Last 6 Meetings:
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Community Shield)
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal​

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We host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening and ahead of the game, Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news.
This is what he had to say:

on team news…
We have no new injuries. Olivier Giroud has a test to see if he can be involved [on Saturday], he had a good training session [on Thursday] so he is really the only one who could come back.

on Ramsey...
Aaron Ramsey is still struggling with his hamstring and I don’t think that he will be available for our next game against Basel or at Burnley, so before the break he will not be available.

He is not completely free in his mind yet to push completely, so we stop him every time when he has a little pain. He is in the last days of his rehab and as long as he is not completely comfortable, we do not push him.

on whether he will go on international duty with Wales…
I don’t think so.

on Giroud being ahead of schedule…
A little bit, yes, because I thought that he would be short for [the Chelsea game]. But we will see how he comes out of today’s training session.

on Ramsey being behind schedule…
We had a few disappointments because he was close to joining again and every time he is not completely ready. Not far, but we have to be cautious with him.​

 

This game has draw written all over it.
Arsenal to go 1-0 up, then Chelsea hit back to make it 1-2, then Arsenal to equalise when Chelsea concede a penalty and get Cahill sent off

You heard it here first

 

We've not beaten these west London pricks since the 5-3 at Stamford Bridge in 2011. I repeat - 2011. Excluding the Community Shield, it has been five years since we last beat them.

I'm genuinely so sick of being unable to win whenever we face them. The fact they did the double over us last season, despite finishing 10th, and we couldn't even score a single goal really does beggar belief.

I think we'll put up more of a fight (please no sendings off on our part), but I don't think we'll do enough to win.

I've gone for a 2-2 draw, but am hoping for better. Need to get this monkey off our backs.

 

Former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit believes the Blues' current boss Antonio Conte is still "searching for a system he can rely on".

Chelsea opened the Premier League season with three successive wins but have taken just one point from their last two games.

The Stamford Bridge side visit London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

Gullit added: "He has only just arrived in this country and has just started his job - he should be given six months to settle in. Sadly, that does not seem to happen anymore.

"I was the first Chelsea manager that Arsene Wenger came up against as Arsenal boss 20 years ago - Conte will be the 12th. Things are very different now to when Arsene first came to England."

Sad but true.

 

http://news.arseblog.com/2016/09/wenger-reveals-latest-on-ramsey-giroud/

Wenger saying Ramsey has a 'small grade one hamstring injury' but is still a few weeks from being fit! I knew it was going to turn out to be one of those injuries that was supposed to clear up in a few weeks but instead is going to drag on for months - I mean he injured himself on the 14th of August!

Giroud could be back for Chelsea though.

 

More important that we have the big man back for the game. Thankfully we have good depth in our central midfield areas to cover Ramsey's absence. It also gives us the opportunity to give both Xhaka and Elneny a run in our central midfield areas. Some sort of rotation between Xhaka, Elneny and Coqs would be good.

 

Very true, it's good that we've got good depth and good options in midfield to cover for the loss of Ramsey - they thing that worries me though is that he was only supposed to be out short term but could well end up being out for 2 months. It doesn't bode well for his physical condition for this season or our physio/injury problems.

It'll be good to have Giroud back and have a presence in the box for Sanchez/Theo/Oxo/Perez/Ozil (whoever plays) to play off and also to aim crosses at.

Apparently John Terry is injured, which is good - one less cock to get in our faces

 

Cazorla has to start every game when fit, he is our QB, the one player who is involved in everything.

I'd start:

Cech
Ballerin
Kos
Mustafi
Monreal

Cazorla
Xhaka
Ozil

Sanchez
Perez
Giroud

 

All big teams are winning.......Untited, City, Spurs, Liverpool (only Everton loosing). We need to win!

 

Ya, that wont happen

 

Same team as the last league game.

• 33Cech
• 24Bellerín
• 20Mustafi
• 6Koscielny
• 18Monreal
• 34Coquelin
• 19Cazorla
• 14Walcott
• 11Özil
• 17Iwobi
• 7Sánchez

 

That's a very small front four to play against Luiz, Cahill, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta, Matic and Kante!

But hopefully Mustafi and Kos will have better luck against ****sa err i mean Costa than our previous defenders

 

For those needing decent links to the game. COYG!

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccerstreams/comments/54akrr/match_thread_1630_gmt_arsenal_vs_chelsea/

 

It's on bt sport.

 

2-0 to the Arsenal

 

Nice Arsenal 2-0 up. Clinical so far and interesting to see how Chelsea react.

 

Hope that Coquelin injury isn't a season long Arsenal special

 

3-0 now. Wow.

 

Thought Sanchez had ****ed that up for a second when he chipped it across

 

It really isn't Chelsea thats our bogey team; seems its Mourinho thats our bogey manager...