Chelsea vs Arsenal: 3 Key Decisions That Will Decide the Game

Arsenal Chelsea teams
Arsenal take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday

#2 Chelsea's defensive pairing

Arsenal v Chelsea - International Champions Cup 2018
Should David Luiz be starting for Chelsea?

Antonio Conte's departure and Sarri's arrival saw Chelsea return to back-four and it has taken them some time to adapt. Having played a back-three for the better part of two seasons, personnel have been moved around.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso will play as their two full-backs but David Luiz in central defence has been vulnerable. The Brazilian is not the same defender he was when he commanded a then-record £50m transfer fee when he moved to Paris Saint-Germain

In the two games this season, Luiz has certainly not convinced his manager that he can thrive in a back-four. He has made errors at the back and his partnership with Antonio Rudiger has not exactly flourished.

With Chelsea playing a high line, Sergio Aguero was able to beat the offside trap and take shots on goal. One can only imagine what the pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the counter-attack could do to Chelsea's backline.

Andreas Christensen, who impressed in his first full season last year should get a look-in. He is safer on the ball, not prone to giving it away easily, and is far more disciplined compared to the erratic Brazilian.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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