Ozil one of just three Gunners included in combined Chelsea team
Published:The two remaining unbeaten Premier League records are laid on the line in Sunday’s big attraction, as Arsenal travel across the capital to face Chelsea.
It’s the home side, six points better off than their rivals in red, who are the heavy favourites, at 4/6, to win the match according to Ladbrokes and it’s a view that is resoundingly backed up by the news team’s Mix and Match graphic, in which only three Arsenal men feature:
The back five is awash with blue shirts in our amalgamation of the two enemies’ squads, as Laurent Koscielny nudges Chelsea’s oldest defensive statesman, John Terry, out of the side.
Apart from the Frenchman’s inclusion, Thibaut Courtois, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta are all easy selections over their north London counterparts.
That theme is carried into the middle of the park, where Arsenal’s glaring weakness in the anchorman role sees the impressive Nemanja Matic stride into our starting lineup.
Alongside him, the assist-happy Cesc Fabregas beats the host of creative midfielders Arsene Wenger has at his disposal, with his six lay-ons not only leading either club, but the league too.
It’s in the final third of the pitch where the men from the Emirates finally see their numbers swell, as Alexis Sanchez’s speed, craft and industry betters anything that Andre Schurrle, Ramires or Willian offers.
Next to him, in the number 10 role, Mesut Ozil is perhaps a contentious selection given his often derided ability to flitter on the edge of games.
However, it’s common knowledge the languid German operates at his creative best behind a striker, in which case we back him to outperform Oscar.
On the opposite flank, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard sees off competition from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott for obvious, run-weaving reasons, while upfront the most potent hit man in the country, Diego Costa, naturally leads the line at Danny Welbeck’s expense.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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