Michael Owen prediction for the games between Chelsea vs Tottenham and Arsenal vs Wolverhampton

After the Champions and Europa League actions in the midweek, the Premier League is back and Michael Owen has previewed and predicted the derby clash between Chelsea and Tottenham as well as the clash between Arsenal and Wolves.

Read what he thinks about the two matches.

The mouth-watering clash between between Chelsea and Tottenham will take place at Stamford Bridge by 5:30pm while Arsenal and Wolverhampton will be at the Emirates stadium by 8:15pm on Sunday as well.

Chelsea vs Tottenham

The clash between Chelsea and Tottenham will see Frank Lampard face Jose Mourinho for the second time this season. It is a top of the table clash and one both managers can’t afford to lose as there is a big chance that whoever wins the match will likely be top of the table until the next matchday at least.

The last time both sides met Chelsea lost on penalties and were knocked out of the League Cup as a result. But since then a lot have changed for both sides, with both managers managing to steady the ship after a shaky start to the season.

Chelsea have won all their games since the draw with Manchester United and this has propelled the Blues from midtable to 3rd place with only 2 points separating them and Tottenham who are in first. With that kind of form one would expect Chelsea to the outright favourites for this fixture but that’s not the case here.

Tottenham themselves are even in better form that the Blues, it’s been over a month since they last dropped points in the league with their last victory the most impressive being against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Simply put, both teams are in form at the moment and that makes picking out a favourite very difficult.

Arsenal vs Wolverhampton

Arsenal have been very unpredictable this season and this is down to how inconsistent they have been so far. Apart from the first two games of this league season where the Gunners flattered to deceive, with every matchday that goes by it is becoming increasingly clear that the top 4 will likely be out of reach for the Gunners yet again.

A factor which has contributed greatly to Arsenal’s problems so far this season is the form of club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 2 goals in 9 league appearances this season is way below his usual high standards, the reason the Gunners have a goal difference of -1 so far this season.

Wolves have a point more than the Gunners and just like Arsenal they have not scored a lot of goals this season. However, that Wolves are not banging in a lot of goals is not down to form but tactics of the manager and that is the difference. They have been a bit solid after having a very poor start which saw them lose 2 of their first 3 games this season. Since then they’ve only lost once in six and this form makes this game a difficult one, with both sides expected to make things tough for each other.

Michael Owen’s prediction

Michael Owen is of the opinion that all the teams involved will have a tough game but he is backing the Gunners and the boys from Stamford Bridge to come out victorious in their respective games.

Writing his prediction for the game between Arsenal and Wolves, Michael Owen said: “Arsenal earned a point against Leeds last weekend having played most of the 2nd half with 10-men. They come into this in need of 3 points, however, Wolves are solid just now. They’ll give anyone in the Premier League a match, and they don’t concede many goals.

“On a few occasions this season, Mikel Arteta has opted to sit in. If he decides to do that here, it might invite Wolves to attack and leave some space for the Gunners to counter.

“If it plays out like this, I can see the Gunners shading it, with Aubameyang getting back amongst the goals.”

For the game at Stamford Bridge he said: “I’m really looking forward to covering this one live. It should be a cracker, but it’s so hard to call!

“One player that is standing out for me at Spurs right now is Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. He’s exactly the type of player that Jose Mourinho likes in his side, and if he keeps playing well, I can see him earning more plaudits as the season progresses.

“With both teams having such quality in attacking areas, I think there will be over 2.5 goals in the game with Chelsea just shading it 2-1.”

Arsenal and Chelsea fans will be happy with what Owen said about their respective games but certainly some other fans will disagree. Just as Owen said, the games will be difficult, a lot will be decided by what happens on the pitch that very day.