Chelsea vs Arsenal Predictions: Hudson-Odoi to Score

Arsenal travel to Chelsea for an EPL match-up this afternoon and Neil Monnery reckons it might be a more open game than the stats may suggest...

Games in the EPL are coming thick and fast and this Wednesday afternoon sees a match-up that would often be one of the biggest games in the league. Chelsea have won the league on five occasions in the 21st Century and whilst Arsenal haven't lifted the trophy since 2003-04, they consistently been seen as one of the bigger clubs in the English game. Both of these clubs were part of the failed European Super League.

This season however Arsenal have really struggled to make an impact in the league. With three games left on their schedule, they look a real long shot to qualify for the Europa League or even grab the sole place for English teams in the new Europa Conference League. This means they are not going to be in Europe next season. The team look pretty rudderless and clearly need an overhaul in the summer.

They travel to Stamford Bridge however knowing their hosts have bigger fish to fry than this game. With an FA Cup Final on Saturday and a Champions League Final on the horizon, we do not expect Chelsea to field a full strength side. This is despite a win all-but-assuring them of a fourth place finish and a spot in the Champions League again next season.

This means that several fringe players may well get their chance. This opens up some value potential in the anytime goal scorer markets. The one I like the look of is young English winger Callum Hudson-Odoi who is a best-priced +450 with William Hill and PointsBet to find the back of the net. He looked extremely lively when coming off the bench at the Etihad on Saturday.

For a more mainstream market, I like the +100 for over 2.5 total goals in the game. Arsenal have no pressure so they are likely to open up and try and play with a more free spirit. Chelsea's squad players will be looking to impress enough to put themselves in the frame to start one of their big Cup Finals. I know this goes away from Chelsea's recent good defensive record but I just have a gut feeling we'll see goals in this one.