Chelsea vs Arsenal Betting tips

A truly mouthwatering spectacle is in the offing at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when reigning Premiership champions Chelsea play host to fellow Londoners Arsenal in a match which neither side can afford to lose.Few would have predicted that Jose Mourinho's men would be under the kosh in a bid to land their third successive league title. However, the gauntlet has been thrown by the resurgent Man Utd, who are going great guns in their bid to wrest Premiership supremacy away from the London club.Meanwhile, Arsenal's position in the table is rather precarious. Although they are currently in third spot, there is just one point between them and ninth-placed Bolton in a race for Champions League places which is changing complexion on a weekly basis.If there's one certainty this season, it's that there are no certainties.Arsenal's inconsistency has been well documented and is what has hampered their progress, along with the fact that they are lacking experience in certain areas of the park. However, they do tend to rise to the occasion when tackling the 'bigger' sides. Indeed, it's mopping up points against the comparative minnows which has been the real problem for Arsene Wenger's men.Interestingly, the Gunners have only been beaten once in their last ten visits in all competitions to 'The Bridge', which was last season when they went down by a goal to nil. Six of the remaining nine meetings in SW6 ended all square, while the north London side have made successful cross-London raids on three occasions.So, the question is, do Chelsea deserve to be generally priced up as 4/6 favourites in the match result market?Well, they will go into this game fresher than Arsenal, having played just one game in the last 11 days, whereas the visitors have had three matches in the same period. Another negative for the Gunners is the absence of Thierry Henry, who looks set to be on the easy list until the New Year.Tomas Rosicky could also be absent following the injury he picked up in the north London derby against Spurs, while William Gallas, who joined Arsenal as part of the deal that saw Ashley Cole move to Chelsea, is also likely to miss Sunday's assignment.Chelsea, on the other hand, have very few injury troubles and there is hope amongst the side that Ukrainian hitman Andriy Shevchenko might now be settling into his new surroundings. His well-taken goal during the midweek Champions League victory over Levski Sofia certainly wouldn't do his confidence any harm.The combination of Sheva's class, combined with the sheer presence of the in-form Didier Drogba concerns me where Arsenal are concerned, as their under-strength defence simply isn't well enough equipped to cope with such threats. In midfield it's a similar story too - apart from Gilberto, Arsenal do not possess players of the same physical stature as Ballack, Essien, Lampard and Makelele.In conclusion, despite Arsenal's impressive record at Stamford Bridge, circumstances have conspired against them ahead of this fixture. Likely to be out-muscled in defence and midfield - and with no Henry to penetrate Chelsea's solid, John Terry-inspired defence - Arsenal are likely to return to Ashburton Grove with the Blues.As such, the price on offer about Chelsea, although a bit skinny, it's probably fair. But for punting purposes, Chelsea/Chelsea in the double result market at 2/1 with Portlandbet looks the way to go. The champs have led at the interval and at the final whistle in six of the seven Premiership matches they've won on home soil this season, which augurs well for the recommendation.Verdict: 2pts Chelsea/Chelsea in the double result market @ 7/4 (Stanjames)