Tactical Battles That Will Shape Chelsea's Clash with Arsenal

Chelsea travel to Arsenal in the Capital One Cup fourth round after brushing aside Swindon, while a youthful Gunners side scraped past West Brom on penalties.

For a clash between the top sides in the Premier League at present, it's a game that doesn't hold much value in terms of quality. Entertainment-wise, however, it could be a memorable fixture.

Both managers have admitted that they will seek to rotate the squad, as reported by Eurosport, but that has not stopped tickets from selling in the box office.

By all means, it would be foolish to assume that Arsene Wenger will seek to field a side as young as he did against West Brom, as the North London side chase their first trophy for eight years.

Jose Mourinho has already complained at the congested fixture schedule, which sees his Blues side have less than 48 hours to prepare for Tuesday's encounter following their 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday. 

As a result, he is likely to field almost a reserve team at the Emirates Stadium, with the likes of Tomas Kalas and Michael Essien getting a rare opportunity to impress.

And today, I take a glance at some of the key tactical battles in the game.

Battle for Domination in the Middle

Jose Mourinho is often a patron of the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 setup for one reason only: maintaining midfield dominance. We saw in the 2004/05 season, when the plain 4-4-2 was more common, that the Blues would often dominate their opponents because of the extra man in the middle. The wingers, usually Damien Duff and Arjen Robben, would hug the touchline to stretch the opponents, allowing Chelsea to use the space in the middle.

Nine years later, it's a slightly different setup because Chelsea have an abundance of attacking midfielders and must use a formation that allows them to be utilised to their full potential. That's where the 4-2-3-1 comes in.

Oscar is usually preferred to Juan Mata in this formation because the Brazilian naturally drops deeper and works back. Mata prefers to stay higher up the pitch, which at times is better—especially on the counterattack—but a coach such as Mourinho, who likes to maintain balance in his formation, will always choose the player with a higher work rate. 

Against Arsenal, it could be that either Mata or Kevin De Bruyne is given the central playmaker role, with Oscar set to be rested. They will need to deal with any of Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere or whoever Wenger decides to throw into the midfield. 

It will be intriguing to observe the midfield battle because Arsenal's trio of Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini each have had their set roles this season, with the latter tending not to roam from his holding position.

However, with Flamini's absence due to a groin injury and Arteta suspended after his red card against Crystal Palace on Saturday, it will be interesting to see who Wenger deploys in the holding role.

Per Mertesacker vs. Demba Ba

If either of these two start the game, it could be a great battle. But not just on the ground, for both of these gentlemen tend to be rather good in the air, too.

Ba, who has struggled for Chelsea since arriving from Newcastle in January, is not the greatest of footballers. But, at 6'2" and with a powerful frame, he is a difficult presence to deal with. We saw that against Norwich; he won every challenge, and John Ruddy was praying for the time when an aerial ball was cleared before Ba challenged for it.

But the 28-year-old has more than met his match in Mertesacker. For his lack of pace and reaction speed, the German defender has a quality which allows slower defenders like himself and John Terry to become so successful in the game. He can read the game and snuff out any building attacks before they become a real danger, and that is a key attribute to have.

If Ba is able to peel away from the former Werder Bremen defender, there will be some problems for Mertesacker. Again, he is not the fastest, but given half a yard, Ba will shoot, and it's difficult to stop him from there.

Providing he can keep tight to the striker and allow him no room to manoeuvre, the threat of the Blues frontman should be quelled rather easily.

Arsene Wenger vs. Jose Mourinho

The mind games before kick-off were started by Jose Mourinho, and who could blame him? The fixture list has seen Chelsea pitted up against two opponents in three days, allowing them no time to recover. Mourinho's complaints have gone unanswered from Wenger, who is clearly more focused on matters on the pitch rather than off it.

It will be interesting to see how seriously both managers take this tie. Wenger cannot afford to slip up in the League Cup because any defeat could seriously harm their momentum in the Premier League, while Mourinho will be keen to weaken another rival with a victory.

Keeping the squad fresh is key, especially for Arsenal, who face Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund in the next eight days.

Experience will come into play, and with both sides high on morale and in decent form, it will be down to the managers on how to play their cards. Do they opt for the bold "We're going to win" strategy, or is it more a case of operating in a conservative formation?

Whatever the case, it promises to be a fascinating battle between two of the world's best-ever managers.