Perhaps it's too early to say who's going to win the Premier League, but it's not too early to say that the top 6 teams will be competing for it. As Jose Mourinho said earlier this month, "December and January will determine who is a contender (for the Premier League).
Both teams come into the match on a low; Arsenal are attempting to bounce back from their humiliating 6-3 defeat at the Etihad last Sunday while Chelsea look to rebound from an extra-time loss on Tuesday to Sunderland in the Capital One Cup. Chelsea know that a win could take them as high as 1st place in the Premier League table while Arsenal know that a win would allow them to hold onto top spot for another gameweek.
Arsenal look to regain momentum following two defeats in a row; a 2-0 loss to Napoli in the Champions League and the 6-3 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City in the Premier League. The loss against Napoli dropped Arsenal to second in the group which proved costly as Wenger's men will have to face Bayern in the Round of 16 stage of the competition. The loss against City put their reign as Premier League leaders in jeopardy as both Chelsea and Liverpool capitalised on Arsenal dropping points. Arsenal could surrender their place as leaders for the first time since August should they lose on Monday evening. Arsene Wenger will hope that a victory will show Arsenal's title credentials after they took a huge dent last weekend.
Chelsea have been grinding out most results as of late leaving manager Jose Mourinho unpleased. The Blues will also want to restore good vibes at the club following the dominant performance against Sunderland in the League Cup. Chelsea looked good value for their lead at the Stadium of Light until Borini struck late on to force extra-time. As the extended period was coming to a close, Sunderland pegged Chelsea back once more as Ki scored a priceless winner, which knocked Mourinho's men out of the Cup. The loss showed Jose Mourinho no new signs as he attributed the defeat to the same mistake that cost Chelsea in previous matches: finishing (or lack therefore of). Chelsea managed 17 shots on target against the Wearside club only to find the back of the net through an own-goal/Lampard sitter. In the league, Chelsea are rather shaky as they come off a very unconvincing 2-1 home win over Crystal Palace and a tough 3-2 defeat to Stoke at the Britannia.
The Gunners will be missing the services of Jack Wilshere, who picked up a two match suspension for an inappropriate gesture during the Manchester City match. In-form center-back Laurent Koscielny looks likely to miss the clash due to a laceration in his knee that was sustained when Negredo scored City's second at the Etihad. Arsene Wenger will also have to look past Abou Diaby and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee injuries) as well as Yaya Sanogo (back injury) when selecting his squad. However, the Frenchman will be happy to see Lukas Podolski back as the German looks set for a return following his three month hiatus thanks to a hamstring injury.
Jose Mourinho looks likely to bench Ashley Cole for the match or even send him home due to the former Gunner's participation in an Arsenal Christmas party. Michael Essien won't participate in the match as well due to the Ghanian picking up a one match suspension when he received his fifth yellow card of the season against Sunderland. Marco van Ginkel will miss out on the match because of his knee injury picked up against Swindon Town in the League Cup earlier this season. Branislav Ivanovic, however, is fresh off of his one match suspension (served v Sunderland) and he looks likely to start at right-back while Cesar Azpilicueta will most likely play left-back due to Cole's absence. Captain John Terry will make his return to the lineup after he didn't feature at midweek for the Blues in their defeat.
The two teams met earlier this year in the Capital One Cup as Chelsea defeated Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates thanks to goals from Spaniards Cesar Azpilicueta and Juan Mata. Jose Mourinho will feel confident going into the match as Chelsea have won eight and lost just two of the last 11 meetings with Arsenal in all competitions. Also, "The Special One" has never lost to Arsene Wenger since their first matchup in 2004.
