Chelsea vs. Arsenal – English Premier League, May 12, 2021

It has been a remarkably different season for these two London clubs. They might have been far more similar if Chelsea had not brought in Thomas Tuchel to replace Frank Lampard in January.

Now, the Blues are getting ready for a Champions League final and could virtually clinch qualification for next year’s tournament with a win against Arsenal on Wednesday.

Chelsea has a slight dilemma as it goes into the end of the season. It will want to rest up a little with the Champions League final on the horizon while not losing sight of its EPL position at the same time.

BetOnline has still made the home side favorite to win this one – and that might have just as much to do with the disappointing season that Arsenal has endured as anything else.

With West Ham and Liverpool still hoping for a slip-up, Chelsea will be aware that it needs a win here to all but qualify for next season’s Champions League. But with the final coming up in a few weeks, it would not be a surprise if some of the players took things a little easier as the fixtures mount up.

Tuchel did rest a few of his first-choice players for the trip to the Etihad at the weekend but still came away with a huge psychological advantage as his Chelsea side won 2-1 against the Champions-elect.

European qualification already looks unlikely for Arsenal now, even after the 3-1 win on Sunday that sent West Brom down. With that Europa League semifinal defeat to Villarreal still fresh in their minds, the Gunners can only hope for bitter rivals Spurs to slip up and Everton not to take its place.

Even then, it would only be a place in the third-tier Europa Conference League for Arsenal.

The win against West Brom gave Arsenal back-to-back victories for the first time since January – and that inconsistently has been just one of the problems that Mikel Arteta has faced this season. He was brought in to revolutionize and inspire the squad after Unai Emery’s departure but has taken the club in the other direction, if anything.

I’m not sure how many players Thomas Tuchel would need to rest before I would consider an Arsenal win on Wednesday. The Gunners have looked so unenthusiastic at times that I briefly considered backing them for relegation earlier in the season.

Things have gotten a little better since then, but this looks like another disappointing defeat for the north London club.