The London derby will be back on Sunday as 6th placed Chelsea will welcome league leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 4-0 during the pre-season.
Graham Potter will aim to win to stand a chance in the premier league title race. The west Londoners’ win over Dinamo Zagreb is a huge positive plus for the blues after last week’s loss to Brighton at Amex stadium.
Pundit Paul Merson believes that Raheem Sterling could significantly impact the game, depending on the position he will be playing. The Englishman was on the score in the midweek champions league game against Dinamo Zagreb. He featured as a wingback against Brighton and it didn’t pay off.
Paul Merson wrote: “This is a massive game for both teams, for different reasons. If Arsenal wins, they will be 13 points clear. Let’s be realistic now – Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea aren’t talking about winning the Premier League title. The title race is over for them, and they’re looking for a top-four finish.
“If Arsenal win this game, they’d have to lose five football matches for Chelsea to catch them, and that’s if Chelsea don’t lose themselves. This is a big game for Arsenal, and they’ll need to avoid defeat. They need to make sure they’re not flat-track bullies.”
Merson continued as he delved into the importance of Sterling, claiming that he’s as much of a goalkeeper as the England international is a wingback. He added: “Raheem Sterling is not a wingback. It’s a hard position to play in, and you can’t just put anybody there. Graham Potter got it wrong last week
“Great wingbacks don’t get the credit they deserve – they take one full side of the pitch and they’ve got to go up and down. Raheem Sterling is as much of a wingback as I am a goalkeeper.
“Arsenal are flying in the Premier League at the moment, and they don’t need the World Cup rest. They’re on a roll and they were outstanding against Forest. I think this match will end in a 1-1 draw, and that’ll be a good result for Arsenal.”
