Chelsea's record in this fixture over the years has been excellent and a lot has been made of Didier Drogba's performances in recent times. Tactical expert Michael Cox casts his eye over some of Betfair's subsidiary markets in search of betting value.
It can't be too often that this fixture has been played with both coming off the back of defeats in their previous league game - although both have had comfortable midweek wins in the Champions League to get over the disappointment of last weekend.
This is a clash Chelsea have dominated in recent years, including a convincing league double over Arsenal last season. Arsenal fans would point to the fact that they have beaten Chelsea twice in the last three seasons - a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in November 2008, and a 1-0 win at the Emirates in December 2009. More telling, however, is the fact that Didier Drogba was absent in both those fixtures.
Drogba's record against Arsenal is superb. In Chelsea's 3-0 and 2-0 victories last season, Drogba scored four of the goals, and played a part in the other by putting pressure on Thomas Vermaelen, who sliced into his own net. Chelsea's play at the moment seems to be based almost entirely around the Ivorian - Carlo Ancelotti's men haven't won a game in which Drogba has played but hasn't scored or assisted since November 2009. When they play well, Drogba is generally at the heart of things.
Continued:
http://www.betfair.net/soccer/uk-soccer-betting/the-big-match-tactical-view-ch-021010.html
It can't be too often that this fixture has been played with both coming off the back of defeats in their previous league game - although both have had comfortable midweek wins in the Champions League to get over the disappointment of last weekend.
This is a clash Chelsea have dominated in recent years, including a convincing league double over Arsenal last season. Arsenal fans would point to the fact that they have beaten Chelsea twice in the last three seasons - a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in November 2008, and a 1-0 win at the Emirates in December 2009. More telling, however, is the fact that Didier Drogba was absent in both those fixtures.
Drogba's record against Arsenal is superb. In Chelsea's 3-0 and 2-0 victories last season, Drogba scored four of the goals, and played a part in the other by putting pressure on Thomas Vermaelen, who sliced into his own net. Chelsea's play at the moment seems to be based almost entirely around the Ivorian - Carlo Ancelotti's men haven't won a game in which Drogba has played but hasn't scored or assisted since November 2009. When they play well, Drogba is generally at the heart of things.
Continued:
http://www.betfair.net/soccer/uk-soccer-betting/the-big-match-tactical-view-ch-021010.html
