5 factors that will decide Arsenal vs Chelsea

Arsenal will play hosts to league leaders Chelsea in a match that is bound to have some controversy, with the dislike that both managers have for each other transferring on to the pitch. While the Gunners still have a mathematical chance of winning the title, it can only happen if the Blues have a cataclysmic meltdown in the remaining games, a highly unlikely event.But it wouldn’t hurt to give themselves a chance if they can beat Chelsea, and Arsene Wenger can only get his own personal monkey of not beating Mourinho off his back. Here are a few factors that can affect the outcome of the game.

#1 Chelsea \"parking the bus\"

For Chelsea, this is not a must win game in any sense of the word. Having already beaten Manchester United, and needing only 2 wins to be confirmed as champions of England, Jose Mourinho may well play for a draw as there is no need to be adventurous against a team that has been on a winning form in both league and cup since the turn of the year.

It is not to say that Chelsea do not have the team to be able to beat Arsenal, but being the pragmatist that Mourinho is, it would make a lot of sense for him to do the same to Arsenal as with Manchester United, and cede possession, use a counter attack to win the game or else settle for a draw.

#2 Arsenal\'s pairing in defence

Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker is injured and may not be fit to to play Chelsea

Per Mertesacker is most likely going to be out of this game, having limped off the pitch in the FA Cup semi-final and seen wearing a protective boot. This means Gabriel will partner Laurent Koscielny in the centre of defence. This could pose some problems.

Although Gabriel has shown himself to be a capable defender and can cut it in the English league, the understanding that Mertesacker and Koscielny shared would not translate to the new partnership. While work will certainly be done on the training ground, the pressure of such a big match may cause either of them to make a mistake or two that can be deadly.

If they can keep their wits about them for the 90 minutes, then Arsenal will have a great chance at winning the game. Also, after the not so impressive shows by both full backs in the FA Cup, it is more than likely that both Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal will be back in the starting lineup, so that should be of help too.

#3 Who will lead Chelsea\'s forward line?

Chelsea find themselves in a bit of a quagmire in terms of the fitness of their forwards. All 3 of them are facing problems to varying degrees, and it would be interesting to see who would be fit enough to lead the line against the Gunners, and if not, which other option Mourinho goes for.

There have been tidbits in the media that Diego Costa would be declared fit and could start the game. While that would certainly be good news if true, he would still not be match fit and may struggle to find his rhythm.

It would be up to one of Eden Hazard or Cesc Fabregas to take the mantle of scoring a goal or two if the forward struggles to hit the stride.

#4 Arsenal\'s forward line

Will Aaron Ramsey start on the right again for Arsenal?

While it is obvious that Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud would be certain starters, whether it will be Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott or Aaron Ramsey on the right would be the question on everyone’s mind.

Walcott’s pace will certainly be a great advantage, but it seems he has fallen down the pecking order, with Arsene Wenger preferring Welbeck and Ramsey to him. Welbeck has strength and pace, but he is not as effective in converting his chances but can be handful helping out in defence.

Ramsey doesn’t have quite the same pace as the other two, but he more than makes up for it with his finishing. That is a conundrum that the Arsenal manager will need to figure out ahead of the game.

#5 Playmakers

Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla will be pulling the strings for both teams, and at least one of them will have a big impact on the game.

With the form Hazard is in, the smart money would be on him scoring the winning goal, but for once this is an area that has no clear winners.

Both Francis Coquelin and Nemanja Matic will have their tasks cut out and will have to be extra vigilant in cutting out any through balls and not letting any attacks develop in general.