Arsenal host Chelsea on Super Sunday with Arsene Wenger looking to end his miserable record against Jose Mourinho’s side and keep the Blues waiting for the Premier League title in the process.
Arsenal have their opportunity to peak at Chelsea’s lead, with Wenger seeking a first victory over a Mourinho side at the 13th match, and to postpone the visitors’ coronation for another week at least.
The focus will be drawn towards Cesc Fabregas on his first return to the Emirates as a Chelsea player with Mourinho’s sales pitch having lured him from Barcelona last summer.
“I promised him he’d be an important player in our project,” said the Portuguese tactician. “And that, normally, good projects end with titles.” The home support will be pained that their former favourite is close to achieving that aim.
Wenger has expressed regret at Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal in 2011.
The ex-Gunners captain opted to move to Barcelona in a £30m deal despite the club wanting to retain his services.
This weekend he will return to the Emirates for the first time as visitors in the colours of Chelsea who look to move a step closer to winning the league title.
Wenger has failed to record a victory in his 12 previous meetings with Mourinho’s teams and the duo have endured a grouchy relationship – which involved in a scuffle on the touchline when Arsenal lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.
Mourinho’s suggestion in February 2014 that Wenger was “a specialist in failure” due to his lack of trophy success over the last decade was a key indicator of the bitterness that exists between the duo, but the Arsenal boss was keen to turn attention away from their personal battle as his side try to trim Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League standings to seven points.
“I do not want to talk about that,” Wenger told a news conference. “ Arsenal v. Chelsea is a big football game. It’s not a confrontation between the two managers, it a confrontation between two teams.”
Mourinho was showered with praise for his tactical nous in the recent 1-0 win over Man Utd, but Wenger would not be drawn on suggestions that his great rival is a “genius.”
Wenger also suggested his failure to beat Mourinho’s teams in 12 attempts will not be a factor in Sunday’s top of the table clash.
“The result on Sunday will be down to the performance on the day,” he added. “We are on a good run and we have an opportunity at home to beat them and we want to take it.”
Former Liverpool striker feels Jose Mourinho’s men may prevail again.
Michael Owen feels a 1-0 Chelsea win or a 1-1 draw is the most likely outcomes when the Gunners host the Blues this weekend.
Arsenal go into the clash against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon and are in fine form going into the Premier League clash.
But Jose Mourinho’s men have also won their last two games and they did so with just three shots on target over the course of 180 minutes.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has never beaten Mourinho in 12 meetings. As such, Owen feels a massive change isn’t in order this weekend, suggesting another 1-0 win for Chelsea – or a 1-1 draw.
He said: “Arsenal v Chelsea is a tricky game to call. The Gunners may have only scraped past Reading last weekend but their league form prior to that was sensational, in terms of results if not always performance.
“But we know how they struggle against the top sides, and this has the look of another 1-0 Chelsea win to me. However, you can’t ignore Arsenal’s excellent league form or the fact that Mourinho may settle for a point, so I go 1-1, too.”
Chelsea won the previous meeting between the two sides 2-0 earlier this season, when Wenger and Mourinho clashed on the touchline at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal have defeated Manchester City, Liverpool (Premier League) and Manchester United (FA Cup), however, they will feel confident in their recent form.
Victory for the Blues would put them just one win away from winning Premier League title, whilst victory for the Gunners would keep alive their slim hopes of catching the Blues.
Anthony. I Nlebem
