Premier League: Arsenal vs Chelsea

Arsenal and Chelsea come into this game having both secured safe passage into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League, respectively, in midweek. Fans watching on had lots of free casino games to play .

The Gunners drew 2-2 with PSV, with Mikel Arteta having fielded a second-string side, to complete an emphatic 9-1 aggregate win and set up a meeting with Real Madrid in the next round of Europe's elite competition.

Chelsea, on the other hand, laboured to a 1-0 win over Copenhagen to win 3-1 on aggregate and will face Polish side Legia Warsawa in the last eight.

This match will mean a lot more to the visitors than to the hosts. Although their coach can't admit it, Arsenal players and fans know that their title dreams are over, and they are very unlikely to drop out of the top four.

Embed from Getty Images Chelsea are embroiled in a dogfight to secure a spot in next season's Champions League. As many as 7 teams are vying for those 3rd, 4th and potentially 5th place, and so Enzo Maresca's men will be determined to get something here.

Since losing Kai Havertz to injury, Arsenal have faltered in the league, which has cost them their chance of recapturing England's top prize. No wins in three and only two points taken from a possible nine have seen them drop 15 points adrift of champions-elect Liverpool.

Chelsea had a similar issue when they lost their only frontman in Nicolas Jackson, but have rebounded of late. Wins over Southampton and Leicester may either be false dawns, given the quality of opposition, or a sign that they have figured out how to play without their only traditional striker. This match will go a long way to demonstrating that.

It must be pointed out that the hierarchies at both Arsenal and Chelsea deserve criticism for building big squads with just one recognised striker apiece, especially with them not making any moves in January to bring in reinforcements. The worst has happened and neither have been equipped to address it.

It could even be argued that Arsenal don't have a single true "striker" in their ranks, but the two players they could rely on to attempt to play that role - Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus - are both on the sidelines. Perhaps even worse has been the long-term absence of Bukayo Saka. Takehiro Tomiyasu is also injured for the long term.

Embed from Getty Images Saka may be back in April, but the other three are all facing very long spells in the treatment room, perhaps stretching into next season.

Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended for Chelsea, and Jackson isn't expected back until April. Meanwhile, Noni Madueke and Marc Guiu are also out for at least two more weeks.

Mikel Arteta has been utilising Mikel Merino as a makeshift centre-forward during this injury crisis, and we could expect that to continue here. Riccardo Calafiori should be implemented at left-back again as several big-name players who were left out against PSV return to the fold.

Pedro Neto has been Enzo Maresca's go-to choice for a Nicolas Jackson replacement. While he doesn't offer the same attributes as the Senegalese, he could pose a threat up top, linking up with the likes of Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho .

This should be a rather cagey, low-scoring affair when considering the lack of truly potent striking options for both teams and the stakes at play for the visitors. Chelsea will probably look to stay solid and attack on the break, and Arsenal don't look capable of breaking any team down to any great extent right now, PSV notwithstanding.

Full-time prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea