Arsenal are vulnerable from set pieces though and Drogba will be vital in that. Solanke is unproven at this level and I don't think a game of this magnitude is right for him to get his first start.

I think Drogba didn't get the praise he deserved for the United game tbh. He put in one hell of a performance and I bet he'll want to do it again in this one.

Call me crazy but I say we win 2-0 Drogba and Hazard to score

I've been thinking 0-2, would love Drogba to score and Costa if he's on.

Arsenal are vulnerable from set pieces though and Drogba will be vital in that. Solanke is unproven at this level and I don't think a game of this magnitude is right for him to get his first start.

I think Drogba didn't get the praise he deserved for the United game tbh. He put in one hell of a performance and I bet he'll want to do it again in this one.

Call me crazy but I say we win 2-0 Drogba and Hazard to score

Can’t agree but we all see things differently.

I though he worked hard especially defending but attacking wise he wasn’t a great threat, he struggled to get by his man and lost the ball countless times due to poor touches. He came into it a bit more in the second half but by that time he looked done and IIRC many of the comment sin the match thread wanted him replaced as he just didn’t have the legs to keep up with the play especially given we were playing on the counter.

I’d be more confident if we had another wide player who gets to the by line and crosses balls into danger areas but we don’t, everything comes down our left or through the middle which is pretty easy for the opponent to manage (unless it’s a bit of magic ala Oscar and Hazard last week).

Best we can hope for starting with The Drog is a draw IMO which is still a great result in any case but to win this we’d need our main boys back up top IMO.

I’ll pray for Remy to pass fit.

This is his second article now about Arsenal beating Chelsea, the man's desperate:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/9815126/arsenal-can-beat-chelsea-at-their-own-game-says-charlie-nicholas

If he knew a better way to beat Chelsea than Lvg then he would have his job...but he is a useless twat who sits with massive headphones yelling out highlights...like they say if you could have you would have. I'm a big Tyson fan but had he fought Holyfield 500 times he would have lost every single one, when you have a number you have it, Wenda can't beat Mou, now Jose can't kick the ball in the net, but tactically he will never be outdone by Wenda not in a thousand Sundays

If Jose is saying Costa will be ready for the game after arsenal if he misses this game I have to believe Jose will roll the dice on him again for Sunday.

I've been thinking 0-2, would love Drogba to score and Costa if he's on.

I did beat them 1-2 on PES last night, went down 1-0 before half time but brought Costa on and scored goals on 78 mins and injury time to win

Can’t agree but we all see things differently.

I though he worked hard especially defending but attacking wise he wasn’t a great threat, he struggled to get by his man and lost the ball countless times due to poor touches. He came into it a bit more in the second half but by that time he looked done and IIRC many of the comment sin the match thread wanted him replaced as he just didn’t have the legs to keep up with the play especially given we were playing on the counter.

I’d be more confident if we had another wide player who gets to the by line and crosses balls into danger areas but we don’t, everything comes down our left or through the middle which is pretty easy for the opponent to manage (unless it’s a bit of magic ala Oscar and Hazard last week).

Best we can hope for starting with The Drog is a draw IMO which is still a great result in any case but to win this we’d need our main boys back up top IMO.

I’ll pray for Remy to pass fit.

We do indeed but thankfully we do it respectively

Edited April 24, 201511 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

I did beat them 1-2 on PES last night, went down 1-0 before half time but brought Costa on and scored goals on 78 mins and injury time to win

 

Haha, I beat them 6-1 on PES 6 last night, not with Chelsea though (who bizarrely rebuffed my repeated attempts to swap Ian Pearce with Bertrand Traoré), with an ML team fittingly named 'sh*tbag FC'. 

 

They have a Burnley-inspired tinge to them: Trippier, David Jones, Arfield, Kightly and Ross Wallace (and super-sub Matty Taylor) all featured, and thankfully a completely incompetent backline starring Zat Knight, Konchesky, and an ancient Gallas (in front of a terrified-looking Kasper Schmeichel) were redeemed by an attacking force of Malbranque and Osgood!

Drogba is fit for Sunday so expect him to play up top. Thought he did well against United personally and his record against Arsenal is legendary!

Dunno why but I feel Costas going to start tomorrow and score the winner.

Dunno why but I feel Costas going to start tomorrow and score the winner.

I think we can all agree that's impossible.

Arsenal are vulnerable from set pieces though and Drogba will be vital in that. Solanke is unproven at this level and I don't think a game of this magnitude is right for him to get his first start.

I think Drogba didn't get the praise he deserved for the United game tbh. He put in one hell of a performance and I bet he'll want to do it again in this one.

Call me crazy but I say we win 2-0 Drogba and Hazard to score

 

I assume you're talking about the away one earlier in the season because he was awful on Saturday. 

 

In the away one he was ok but it really highlighted how his lack of pace really alters the way we play. He took his goal well but beyond that I thought it was a limited performance.

I hate doubting the Drog, it just feels dirty and wrong.

It' hard to accept he's human and in decline.

If willpower, passion and guts counted for eveything he'd score 5.

Edited the title so it’s in the same format as the Man Utd thread, not that I’m superstitious or anything...

I think we can all agree that's impossible.

Actually it's not cause we don't play until Sunday

I assume you're talking about the away one earlier in the season because he was awful on Saturday.

In the away one he was ok but it really highlighted how his lack of pace really alters the way we play. He took his goal well but beyond that I thought it was a limited performance.

He wasn't awful at all, he battled like crazy and put in some great interceptions/tackles.

I've posted this elsewhere.

On our local news recently an old dear went into hospital, when she got home her place had been emptied by her son.

It ain't over until it's over. We all know Drogba has nearly completed his time, but could we not offer him appreciative dignity and not get his bags ready just yet?

Why don't we enjoy him while we still have him, there aren't many like him and we've been lucky he's been one of ours.

Whether it is Drogba, remy or Costa that play I think it will come down to how well we defend and how well Hazard plays. If both of those factors work in our favour we are golden.

He wasn't awful at all, he battled like crazy and put in some great interceptions/tackles.

 

He put in a few tackles but the ball seemed to bounce off him, he got outfought especially in the second-half and he looked gassed after the first 10 minutes. Love the bloke but he's not close to being the same guy and it's a little sad to watch.

 

I've posted this elsewhere.

On our local news recently an old dear went into hospital, when she got home her place had been emptied by her son.

It ain't over until it's over. We all know Drogba has nearly completed his time, but could we not offer him appreciative dignity and not get his bags ready just yet?

Why don't we enjoy him while we still have him, there aren't many like him and we've been lucky he's been one of ours.

 

There's not a single fan at the Bridge who doesn't appreciate everything he's done, who doesn't cheer his name loudly when it's read out, doesn't get on their feet when he's entering or leaving the pitch and loves the man. But age changes what a person is capable of, doesn't it?

Tempted to watch this in a pub instead of relying on sh*tty internet streams.

 

However I don'#t have a great record when watching matches at pubs/bars. There was the 3-2 win against Everton when we scored 3 screamers, but after that it was the 0-1 loss to Liverpool when Torres made his debut (and the nightmare began) and a 1-3 loss to Roma in the CL

Sorry if posted before but love this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3052189/Chelsea-fans-call-C-Team-storming-Emirates-Stadium-play-practical-joke-ahead-London-derby.html

No worries, it's good to laugh, more times the merrier.

He put in a few tackles but the ball seemed to bounce off him, he got outfought especially in the second-half and he looked gassed after the first 10 minutes. Love the bloke but he's not close to being the same guy and it's a little sad to watch.

Disagree completely

Massive game hope we absolutely smash these scummy bar stewards! No idea who will start Hopefully Costa is fit and ready to play, assuming Remy is still out it will probably be Didier which he will be licking his lips at the chance of extending his phenomenal record against them, Come on Chelsea!!!!

Massive game hope we absolutely smash these scummy bar stewards! No idea who will start Hopefully Costa is fit and ready to play, assuming Remy is still out it will probably be Didier which he will be licking his lips at the chance of extending his phenomenal record against them, Come on Chelsea!!!!

 

I wouldn't put much money on us smashing them. We haven't won a PL game by more than 1 goal since January.

Knowing Mou..he won't. .sadly

No one expected Tomas Kalas last year then he appeared, 2nd guess Jose at your peril.

No one expected Tomas Kalas last year then he appeared, 2nd guess Jose at your peril.

That was because our priority was champions league then.......and we had lost to crystal palace in the league more or less ending our slim league title hopes... Jose is no Rafa when it comes 2 rotation

i know drogba has not been looking quite the same but does anybody think that some of it could be down to fitness and a bit of rustiness due to lack of first team performances? i have had a feeling for a while now that he is going to score a massive goal