Unless you're a Manchester City fan, there isn't a lot to be thrilled about at the top of the Premier League. The Citizens are surely going to win the title this year, leaving everyone else fighting for second-best.
Two of the teams that are definitively in the running to finish second this year in the EPL are Arsenal and Chelsea, and they'll go to war for the second time this year on Wednesday night at the Emirates.
At 2:45 p.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this English Premier League match on Wednesday, January 3, 2017, at Emirates Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal +155
Chelsea +167
Draw +240
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
You aren't going to get a much closer matchup than this one. Chelsea is largely considered to be the better of these two teams by a relatively short margin, but playing at the Emirates is never all that easy.
The Gunners are -130 favorites on the Asian Handicap and are +155 on the three-way moneyline.
The total of 2.5 with -153 vig on the over is relatively high for this usually-defensive series.
These two teams have already played twice this season, a scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge in September and a 1-1 draw in the Community Shield, a match ultimately won by Arsenal in a penalty shootout.
Key Injuries
Olivier Giroud's absence thanks to a hamstring injury is a big problem for the Gunners. Without him, Arsenal could have some problems finding the back of the net. There are other finishers on this team, but the bottom line is that Giroud is the straw that stirs this drink.
Mesut Ozil sit out the duel with West Brom with a minor knee injury, but he's hoping to get back in the fold for this affair.
Chelsea has been without David Luiz since just after Thanksgiving. The Blues are holding their own without one of their better defenders, but again, this is a match that could be problematic without Luiz in the fold. The hope is to get Luiz back soon, but this doesn't seem to be the match in which that will happen.
Recent Form
Chelsea has gotten up to second in the Premier League with 45 points in 21 matches. Under most circumstances, this would be good enough to sit at the top of the table, but with the way City is playing, it almost feels like Antonio Conte's team is failing miserably a year after winning the EPL going away.
The Blues have had a good holiday season to date, picking up a 5-0 win over Stoke City and a 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. This, though, is when things are starting to get tough. Chelsea has won four straight matches at home across all competitions, but the one fixture played on the road in that span was a scoreless draw against Everton.
Arsenal would have clearly preferred to get all six points around the holidays, but the team should be satisfied with four points in two affairs against Crystal Palace and West Brom on the road. Manchester City's record winning streak came to an end at Selhurst Park, and for Arsenal to take three points in that affair against CP was a good accomplishment.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
There is a slew of transfer drama that could be surrounding these two teams, and there isn't a lot of good news out of either camp. Between Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard both being linked to Spain, either one of these teams could look a lot different any given day during the January transfer window.
As it is, this match scares us for Chelsea. Arsenal is going to be giving everything it has to try to get back into the top four, and a match like this one is just too important to dump. We recommend playing the Gunners on the Asian Handicap to give us a return on investment in the case of a draw.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1
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