Premier League legend Alan Shearer has admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two red cards in Chelsea game against Arsenal on Sunday.
The Blues head into the game level on points with the Gunners, but are ahead of their rivals on goal difference as they look to get back into the Champions League.
A win would see Maresca’s men move into the top three depending on Nottingham Forest’s result, whilst a defeat would see them drop out of the top four heading into the international break.
Shearer thinks there could be red cards in Chelsea’s clash with Arsenal
The Blues are still looking for a statement win this season having failed to beat Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United this campaign.
Chelsea’s recent record against Arsenal isn’t good and the Blues only have one win in their last nine meetings with their rivals, something Maresca will want to rectify.
The Blues are sweating on the fitness of star man Cole Palmer following a reckless challenge by Lisandro Martinez in last weekend’s draw against United, although he did post a cryptic fitness update to his Instagram story on Friday.
Arsenal aren’t in good form and have just one point from their last three Premier League matches, and Peter Crouch has backed the Blues to win.
However, Shearer believes the contest will end in a draw and admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two red cards.
“Chelsea head into their match with Arsenal above the Gunners after ten Premier League games, and though Arsenal have stumbled recently, it shows how well Enzo Maresca has done at Chelsea, especially when you include the chaotic nature at the club,” he told The Metro.
“The midfield is probably where this game with Arsenal will be won and lost. Rice and Partey against Caicedo and Lavia is a good battle because you’re talking about good midfielders that enjoy handling the ball.
“The game against Chelsea is a ‘must not get beat game’ for Arsenal. I don’t care who you are, the potential of sitting ten points behind Liverpool is a lot at this level, and they can’t afford too many more defeats.
“There will be fireworks, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw a red card or two, but I’ll go for a draw on Sunday.”
