When Arsenal play against their London rival Chelsea, it cannot ever really be described as ‘friendly’. It means that little bit more to the fans, despite not being a competitive match – they simply do not want to lose to their big rivals.
Arsenal and Chelsea are both going through big changes
The preseason has been even more significant as the two teams are both going through major transitional periods. Arsene Wenger brought the curtain down on his 22 years of coaching Arsenal and Unai Emery has taken over the reigns. Arsenal had been in decline for several years, missing out on Champions League qualification for the last two years. Despite progressing to the semi-final of the Europa League last season, the team were a fair distance behind the leaders in the Premier League, finishing sixth.
Arsenal’s preseason is going well
They have seen several stars leave the club, with Alexis Sanchez heading to Manchester United and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain choosing to move to Liverpool. They are still in negotiations with Aaron Ramsey, as the team is starting to look very different to the one that started last season. The team have shown some real glimpses of class in this preseason, with a 5-1 defeat of PSG the most memorable result.
Chelsea stars could leave in exodus before the season starts
Chelsea is another team that is going through large-scale changes, with Maurizio Sarri taking over from Conte after they finished fifth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League. Several star players have been linked with moves away from the club, including Hazard, Courtois and Willian. Their striking options of Morata and Giroud are also thought to be surplus to requirements.
Whilst the friendly match is taking place in Dublin it will not involve some of the World Cup stars and is unlikely to include the same starting eleven that will kick off the new Premier League campaign, the game will give insight into the way that each manager will be looking to set his team up. So Chelsea and Arsenal fans will be able to see for themselves what kind of playing style their manager prefers. Chelsea supporters should also get the opportunity to see how their new signing Jorginho fares.
How you can watch Arsenal vs. Chelsea:
Date and time: Wednesday, August 1 at 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
TV channels: Premier Sports, ESPN2
