Arsenal vs Chelsea: Tactical Analysis | Key Battles | Predicted Lineup

Sportco delivers a tactical analysis for Sunday's game between Arsenal and Chelsea with 5 key battles, manager tactics, and predicted lineups that could decide the outcome of the game.

Chelsea started their Premier League campaign on a positive note after dispatching Crystal Palace 3-0 and will continue this fine form when they travel to Emirates this Sunday. 

While Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford, the same story continues for Arsenal this season as well. Arsenal will now host Chelsea this weekend, Arteta and Co. will go into this game with a point to prove. 

Arsenal vs Chelsea Tactical Analysis: Key Battles

1) Romelu Lukaku vs Ben White

Lukaku is set to play his first game in Chelsea’s t-shirt, the center-forward will face Ben White. This will be a turning point for Ben White as Lukaku is one of the lethal strikers which could prove too much for him. His pacy and physical attributes and vision could overwhelm the 23-year-old. 

Ben White came under scrutiny after he failed to impress in his debut game against Brentford, now he will face Chelsea’s new striker Lukaku on Sunday, and should be able to step up on the plate. 

2) Antonio Rudiger vs Nicolas Pepe

Antonio Rudiger has been one of Tuchel’s trustable players and has always solidified the defensive line for the Blues. The German occupies the left center-back (LCB) position for Chelsea and will go up against Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe. 

Nicolas Pepe is likely to start on the right-wing as he did against Brentford as Arteta is short of attacking options at the moment.   

3) Jorginho vs Granit Xhaka 

Jorginho has been one of the decisive players under Tuchel and exhibited brilliant performance for Chelsea and has played the role of a metronome in many games. Against Arsenal, he is likely to encounter Xhaka. 

Xhaka has always given an all-out performance for Arsenal, dictating the game to attackers and sweeping things at the back, and progressing. His leadership and aggression will be pivotal if Arsenal wants to win the battle in midfield.  

Mikel Arteta vs Thomas Tuchel: Tactics

We now look at the tactical analysis and formations of the two coaches for the Arsenal vs Chelsea game.

Thomas Tuchel has tons of star players at his disposal and sometimes it's very tiring to pick the right player for the squad. 

At Chelsea, Tuchel has executed a 3-4-2-1 formation. There he has implemented a more cautious approach during attacking and more possession-based football. During defending he keeps the ball with numerical superiority in defense. 

Tuchel's 3-4-2-1 system is to attack with five players and after losing the ball team defends with five players, which is a more balanced approach for him. He deploys 3-4-2-1 with three-man defense two wingbacks and three attackers acting as an abutment to the “main” striker.

Arsenal will struggle to score goals in the absence of Aubameyang and Lacazette, which was evident in their first premier league game against Brentford. 

Mikel Arteta’s new tactical approach with a 4-2-3-1 formation gives Arsenal an extra man in attack with quick rotations in the game, which helps in breaking the opponent’s play. 

Arsenal vs Chelsea Tactical Analysis: Predicted XI

 Arsenal Predicted XI (4-3-2-1): Bernd Leno; Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe, Folarin Balogun. 

Chelsea Predicted XI: Chelsea Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Marco Alonso, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner.

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