Why Chelsea Have Nothing to Fear in Form of Danny Welbeck and Arsenal
Both clubs won their group games, although the Gunners' 4-1 thumping of Galatasaray ensures they will enter Sunday's crunch London derby with a significant feather in their cap.
While Chelsea spluttered over the line in their 1-0 victory against Sporting Lisbon, Danny Welbeck was busy scoring his first hat-trick in Arsenal colours, putting his team-mates on a high in the process.
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For the best part of an hour, it was a convincing display from Arsene Wenger's side. They appeared motivated, committed and most importantly, clinical in front of goal.
It's encouraging—only we've seen it all before.
For all the zip and verve, it was after all Galatasaray—a team who sit fifth in their domestic league and are far from the force we have known in years past.
The Turks are hardly a barometer for success.
They share the same shirt number, but Semih Kaya is no John Terry. Nor can Blerim Dzemaili be compared to Nemanja Matic, or Wesley Sneijder to Eden Hazard for that matter.
Arsenal deserve credit for how they dispatched their opponents, but yet again it was a victory that carried more than a hint of the flat-track bully tag the Gunners have seemed to embrace.
Convincing against so-called lesser teams, when they meet a big rival, it's more often than not the opposite.
Take last season against their fellow top-four teams, for instance. Arsenal's Premier League record against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City read: P6 W1 L3 D2. They conceded 18 goals in the process, scoring just seven.
On their travels, Arsenal were well and truly humbled. At Anfield they were thumped 5-1, beaten 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium and their last visit to west London in March—a game that marked Wenger's 1,000th in charge of the club—finished in a comprehensive 6-0 victory for Chelsea.
| Home | Away | |
| Chelsea | 0-0 (D) | 6-0 (L) |
| Liverpool | 2-0 (W) | 5-1 (L) |
| Manchester City | 1-1 (D) | 6-3 (L) |
Indeed, it's trends such as these that put the Galatasaray game into perspective.
Wenger's modern Arsenal have developed a reputation for being easily bullied, intimidated even, and for all the encouragement Wednesday's performance will bring, we're not quite sure which team will turn up at Stamford Bridge.
History tells us it won't be the one we saw midweek. After all, this is Chelsea, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
The Blues boss doesn't do defeats against Arsene Wenger. In 11 games against each other, Mourinho's record speaks for itself, winning six and drawing the remaining five.
Form counts for little when these great minds meet. It's psychological and Chelsea's mettle has always proved the difference.
Arsenal carry that weight with them whenever they come to blows with Mourinho's side.
Welbeck may well be on a high, yet it's going to take more than a hat-trick to show his team-mates they can topple the side that often masters them.
Chelsea can ill-afford to touch upon complacency where the England striker is concerned, although it'll be Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny having sleepless nights about what awaits them.
Too many Arsenal defences have been undone by Chelsea strikers in the recent past, notably Didier Drogba.
The Ivorian often left them licking their wounds, battered and bruised. And when they finally recovered from the psychological damage, it was time for Round 2 when Chelsea would face the Gunners again.
It was a vicious circle, and now Arsenal must confront the Premier League's deadliest striker this weekend in Diego Costa.
If Arsenal thought Drogba was difficult enough, Costa is arguably a tougher beast to combat.
The Spanish international has made light work of Premier League defences already, scoring seven goals in five of his six appearances since arriving from Atletico Madrid.
He does more than score goals; he mixes it and intimidates.
The slightest sign of weakness, Costa is there to pounce, and he keeps knocking at the door until it not only opens but is knocked down.
Can Arsenal's fragile rearguard cope?
At the back of Wenger's mind will be that 6-0 collapse against Chelsea last term. His team were still among the chasing pack for the Premier League title back then, but defeat was the final nail in the coffin of that dream.
Just a few days into October, another loss on Sunday may well end their hopes of being crowned champions for another year also.
They'll be nine points behind pace-setters Chelsea, dealing with the impact of another defeat to Mourinho and his men in the process.
On their own patch and on form, Mourinho's side has little to fear. Arsenal meanwhile need only remember their last visit to west London. They'll be facing Mourinho, Costa and their demons.
Strikers scoring hat-tricks and Champions League victories are all well and good, but Arsenal must show they have much more substance.
Do they?
Vote for Garry Hayes as the best established football writer in the 2014 Football Blogging Awards: http://bit.ly/1tYctFi
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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