ARSENAL continue to stumble from one crisis to another and the board's faith in Mikel Arteta will be put to the test if they crash to a derby defeat against Chelsea on Boxing Day.
The Gunners crashed out of the League Cup at home to Manchester City on Tuesday, the sole act of defiance in that humbling 4-1 loss a Alexandre Lacazette goal that ruined two of my bets in one fell swoop.
It's now eight domestic games without a win for Arteta and his confidence-drained side who face the prospect of being dragged into a relegation scrap if their alarming slump continues.
So the visit of an expensively assembled Chelsea team is probably the last thing the Gunners need right now as they look for a win that would boost morale in the ranks.
The pressure would have been on both bosses heading into this match had the Blues suffered a third successive defeat against West Ham in another London derby on Monday.
But Frank Lampard saw his side claim a 3-0 victory in a match where a lack of cards bust the coupon of our man Slips Tips.
That win left Chelsea just six points behind leaders Liverpool so they will be desperate to keep their title bid on track by sending the Gunners spinning to another defeat.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Chelsea as favourites but Unibet still make them evens for a win, which looks great value. The draw pays 37/13 at SBK who price a win for Arsenal at 31/10.
Recent head to head
Arsenal beat Chelsea to win last year's FA Cup Final but the Blues were unbeaten in three meetings before that, winning twice.
Lampard's side claimed a 2-1 win at the Emirates at the Premier League last season (below) but that was their first success at Arsenal's home since 2016.
Players to watch
Gabriel Martinelli's display against City was one of the few positives for Arsenal but he had to limp off with an injury. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also a doubt with a calf injury the burden for goals could fall on Lacazette again.
I flagged up the Frenchman as a threat against City and he's 12/5 with Paddy Power to grab another goal in this clash.
Tammy Abraham should keep his place up front for Chelsea after a double against West Ham and the striker is 9/5 with BetVictor for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams to score has come up in the last four meetings of these teams and pays a best 5/6 at SBK here.
Chelsea have grabbed the first goal in three of the last four clashes with the Gunners and are 4/6 with Paddy Power to do so again.
I backed Kieran Tierney for a card against City only for Arteta to rest the Scotland star but he should return for this one and is overpriced at 22/5 with BetVictor to be carded.
There have been two goals in the first half of Arsenal's last two games and over 1.5 first-half strikes is a decent 15/8 with Betfred for this one.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea will be played on Dec 26, 2020 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
