Hassan Chamas


What: English Premier League
Who: Chelsea (1st; 55 points) versus Arsenal (3rd; 49 points)
When: Sunday 7th February, 2010, at 16:00 GMT
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England

The Countdown Begins

As the title of this paragraph suggests, the chronometer is in countdown mode as the real action gets underway at this stage for Chelsea, who will try to knock Manchester United and Arsenal out of their way to clinch the Premier League title that has been missing from their cabinet since the 2005/06 season.

The talk around Stamford Bridge in recent days has been centered on skipper John Terry and his alleged extra-marital relationship with Vanessa Perroncel, the model who was at one time Wayne Bridge’s partner, Terry’s ex-teammate at Chelsea. The England captain has responded to his detractors by doing what he does best, and that’s playing football, scoring the winner in his team’s 2-1 win over Burnley.

The greatest test for Terry remains however his upcoming meeting with national team coach Fabio Capello, as question marks are being asked concerning his legitimacy as the leader of the Three Lions. Nonetheless, the former Juventus and Real Madrid boss will have the final say in a debate that has been raging around England for the past week.



Last Chance Saloon

Arsenal’s season trims down to 90 minutes of football on Sunday evening, as last week’s embarrassing defeat to Manchester United pushed them six points off the pace behind leaders Chelsea.

By the confession of their own manager, rarely have Arsenal been embarrassed the way they were last weekend by Manchester United. While the 3-1 scoreline does not mean total annihilation, Wayne Rooney and Nani nonetheless made sure to leave the Emirates Stadium with a precious three points in hand, a prize that could end up making this campaign a two-horse race.

True, Arsenal have had their fair share of injuries, most notably that to forward Robin van Persie. However, Andrei Arshavin and co. have nonetheless managed to greatly impress when all seemed to be lost for The Gunners. That said, their easy surrender to Man Utd wasn’t acceptable for Arsene Wenger, and the fans will be eager for retribution when facing their blue London rivals. 

Recent form

Chelsea:
Chelsea 3-0 Birmingham City (Premier League)
Burnley 1-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Hull City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)

Arsenal:
Stoke City 3-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United (Premier League)

Key absences

Chelsea: Michael Essien; Jose Bosingwa; Juliano Belletti

Arsenal: Sol Campbell (doubt); Eduardo (doubt); Fran Merida (doubt); Abou Diaby (doubt); Kieran Gibbs; Robin van Persie; Johan Djourou

Players to watch

Chelsea – John Terry: Naturally, all eyes will be on Terry on Sunday afternoon. The defender has been under hectic pressure of late, and a dominant display against fellow Londoners Arsenal could be what he needs to win back some of those who have been critical of his keeping the England captaincy.

Arsenal – Thomas Vermaelen: Given Manuel Almunia’s drop in form, Vermaelen will have to organise and lead the backline against the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba. With Didier Drogba looking to vent his African Nations Cup disappointment against Arsenal, “The Verminator” will have to be on high alert.



Match prediction

Rarely do these kind of matches fail to entertain, and the general feeling is that this occasion won’t be an exception. Arsenal will be looking to win for their fans with a strong display against Chelsea, but that seems to be a difficulty considering the rate the Pensioners have been going, and so, expect a win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men on this occasion.

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