Wenger seeks first win against Mourinho

With both Chelsea and Arsenal enjoying good wins in the Champions League this week, attention turns back to domestic Premier League action as both clubs aim to strengthen their bid to be crowned champions this season.

The last time Arsenal visited Stamford bridge in the Premier League it was Arsene Wenger`s 1000th match in charge of the Gunners but it quickly turned in to a game to forget for the Frenchman, his team eventually going down 6-0 to their London rivals. The Arsenal manager has a very poor record when it comes to facing Jose Mourinho, it currently stands at six defeats, five draws and no wins, something that Wenger will be attempting to put right on Sunday. Wenger will have to plot his first victory against Mourinho without the likes of Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Mathieu Debuchy, Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo, who are all still sidelined with injuries.

On the other hand, Mourinho is used to having the upper hand against his managerial counterpart, having never lost to Wenger in any competition. The Portuguese employed excellent counter-attacking tactics in the 6-0 victory at Stamford Bridge last season, hitting Arsenal on the break whenever the visitors crossed the half-way line. This win, coupled with the continued success over Wenger makes Chelsea clear favourites with the bookmakers and ladbrokes offer 7/10 for another Chelsea victory this weekend.

Key to securing success in this match for Chelsea will be Diego Costa and despite concerns over his fitness being voiced this week by Mourinho, he should be fit to start and is 7/2 with paddypower to score the first goal of the game. It will prove to be an interesting afternoon for Chelsea`s Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who will be playing his first Premier League match against the team that really launched his career. At odds of 3/1 with bet365, Fabregas is a decent bet to score at any time during the match. The confidence of Nemanja Matic, Fabregas` midfield partner, will have been given an extra boost in midweek, heading in the only goal in the match away to Sporting Lisbon and he can be backed at 7/1 with BetVictor to pop up with another goal at any time during the game.

Arsenal, although considered a title contender by many, are priced out at 9/2 with betfred, odds which you would not usually see for Arsenal to win a Premier League encounter and that, perhaps, tells you what their chances realistically are to get a positive result from the game. If Arsenal are to trouble Chelsea then Danny Welbeck, hat-trick hero in mid-week for Arsenal against galatasary will be key, especially considering the loss of Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo. The former Manchester United man is 17/2 to open the scoring with bet365 and given Chelsea`s less than convincing start to the season defensively, he will fancy his chances to do just that. Wenger will also be looking towards his other summer signing, Alexis Sanchez to provide a goal scoring threat for his team and the Chilean is 11/4 with the same firm to score at any time.

Given the recent history when Mourinho and Wenger have come against each other, it`s hard to look beyond a home win, with a draw at 16/5 with BetVictor probably the best Arsenal can hope for. However, Chelsea have been drawing almost half of their last 20 home matches at half time and betfred offer 18/5 for the match be level at the interval with Chelsea going on to win come the end of 90 minutes. Additionally, considering the attacking talent on show and the defensive frailties of both teams, the 31/40 offered by BetVictor for both teams to score is a bet worth looking at.

Go To bet365

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04/10/2014     © Frixo 2026