Our prediction for this match:
All eyes will be on Emirates Stadium when Arsenal and Chelsea go head to head in a pre-season friendly. The Gunners did well sign talented defender Ben White in the summer transfer window, but this game comes too early for the new recruit. Experienced attacker Alexandre Lacazette is widely expected to return to the starting XI after scoring as a substitute in the victory over Watford.
The Blues, on the other hand, are eyeing their fourth consecutive win of the pre-season. Since Thomas Tuchel’s troops have been scoring goals for fun in recent warm-up games, we believe that there is a big value in betting on over 2.5 goals. All Barkley, Mendy, and Loftus-Cheek are pushing for a start. Tammy Abraham should continue to lead the line for the Blues as fellow attacker Olivier Giroud joined Milan earlier this summer.
Highlighted Player (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang):
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the most famous Gabonese player and he is the first footballer from Gabon to appear in Bundesliga. Aubameyang played for the likes of Dijon, Lille, Monaco and St. Etienne in the past before joining Borussia Dortmund on July, 2013. The pacey attacker signed a five-year contract with the Millionaires and he has been producing outstanding performances with the Signal-Iduna-Park outfit ever since.
Aubameyang impressed in the 2015–16 Bundesliga, scoring 25 goals in 31 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, but that did not help Thomas Tuchel’s men win the domestic trophy. Speaking of his international career, the 187-cm-tall striker made his Gabon debut on 25 March, 2009 and he scored his first goal for the national team in a 3-2 win over Morocco.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang helped Gabon make it to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. It has to be noted, though, that he played for France U-21 team in the past. Aubameyang was born in Laval, France on 18 June, 1989.
Highlighted Team (Chelsea):
Over the years Chelsea have established themselves as one of the dominant forces in the English Premier League. Roberto Di Matteo helped the team win their first ever Champions League trophy (2011/2012), but it has to be noted that they were more than fortunate to beat Bayern Munich in the title game.
Chelsea have been playing at Stamford Bridge since 1876 and they are a real force to be reckoned with at home. The Blues have won seven FA Cups, five League Cups, two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups and the UEFA Europa League. Rafael Benitez was in charge of the team that faced Benfica in the 2012/2013 Europa League final, with Branislav Ivanovic scoring the winner for the Blues in the title clash.
After lifting the 2014/2015 Premier League trophy, the Blues largely struggled in the next campaign, which saw Jose Mourinho’s second spell with the club come to an end, and Antoine Conte went over to take the reigns for the 2016/2017 season.