Frank Leboeuf has made a surprise prediction ahead of tomorrow’s London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal.
Chelsea host rivals Arsenal on Saturday in the Premier League, with the evening match kicking off at 5:30pm.
The Blues posted a three-game winning streak before a pause for the international break, but there’s no doubt they still go into this weekend’s game at Stamford Bridge as underdogs.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently 11th in the league table and targets for the season are still unclear. In contrast, Arsenal sit second in the division and look well charged to launch another title challenge.
London derby at Stamford Bridge
We suspect most neutrals would fancy the Gunners to come away from the Bridge with all three league points tomorrow.
There’s a surprise prediction from one man, though.
ESPN pundit Frank Leboeuf, who spent time at Chelsea during his playing career, is predicting a surprise win for his old club versus Arsenal.
“If Chelsea can keep on scoring like they did in the last three games, there’s a chance that they can do something. Defensively and in the middle of the park they can compete with Arsenal. It’s only the frontline that the Gunners have better [players],” Leboeuf told ESPN.
“I will be happy with a draw, but I think a win from Chelsea could be a very good surprise and a good sign they’re going to get better.
“I will say 2-1 for Chelsea.”
Recent Chelsea pain against Arsenal
Chelsea have really struggled in recent meetings against Arsenal, losing six of the seven previous meetings with them across all competitions.
It makes it quite difficult to bring any real optimism into this game.
However, we’re certainly noticing significant improvements in the team under Pochettino’s guidance this term. The points return in the league may not be a fair reflection of how they’ve actually performed overall.
Speaking on the BBC’s The Players channel podcast, West Ham striker Michail Antonio has also predicted a Chelsea win over Arsenal this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side look a lot closer to the finished article with their side and should be building on last season’s second-placed finish. They recently beat Manchester City to send out quite a significant statement, too!
We’ve seen time and time again there can be some odd results straight after an international break as teams get back into their groove, though.
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