Chelsea will be taking on Arsenal on Saturday in what promises to be a key fixture that is likely to have a big bearing on the outcome of the Premier League title race. Here are three key battles that are likely to decide the outcome of the game.
Schurrle vs Gibbs/Monreal
Left back has been one of the problem areas of the Arsenal defense and it has been one area which Arsene Wenger has been unable to sort out all season. Keiran Gibbs, Nacho Monreal and Thomas Vermaelen have all featured at left back but none of them have put in a really confident showing when it comes to defending against big teams. They have been decent going forward, but when it comes to the defensive side of the game, Arsenal’s left side is a liability.
It was their Achilles heel in the encounters against Bayern and Chelsea will look to exploit this weakness once again against the Gunners. With Willian suspended due to the second yellow card that he saw against Aston Villa, Andre Schurrle is likely to start on the right and his pace and trickery will be a difficult threat for Gibbs/Monreal to contend with. Wenger and his men have to make sure that they sit tight on that side of the pitch.