Former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly has backed his former side to send a message to the rest of the Premier League with a victory over Arsenal.
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The Blues were in good form heading into the international break, winning back-to-back games for the first time since March after victories over Fulham and Burnley.
Arsenal head to Stamford Bridge in the first game back after the break on Saturday 21 October with the Gunners joint top of the Premier League alongside neighbours Tottenham.
Arsenal beat Chelsea home and away last season and made another real statement of intent by beating champions Manchester City earlier this month.
But World Cup winner Desailly believes Mikel Arteta’s side may arrive in west London underestimating a Chelsea side that could secure a major turning point in their season with a win.
It looks impossible, but I’ll go for a 3-1 win [to Chelsea], Desailly told Gambling Zone.
‘Why not? This is the beauty of the Premier League. As soon as a team has a mental drop and isn’t ready for the intensity of a match, they can lose. When Arsenal players arrive at Chelsea, they may believe that it won’t be as difficult as it would at Tottenham, City, or eventually, Man United.
‘Those kinds of stadiums get players ready for the battle. When teams come to Chelsea, they’ll think they can win, despite how talented their players are.
‘The mental preparation will automatically drop, even if you try to control it.’
He continued: ‘All of what I said about Chelsea before can be brushed away if Chelsea beat Arsenal.
‘A victory won’t just mean three points, it’ll also mean you’ve been physically, technically, and tactically superior to Arsenal. That’ll give the players a lot of belief, and Pochettino can build on that.
‘Everyone now knows that Arsenal are a part of the great teams in the Premier League, and Chelsea will know how important the psychological aspects of the game are. I do believe Chelsea can win, even if it’s Arsenal. I’m not taking away from Arsenal’s level, but Chelsea can win and build up from there.’
Chelsea head into the weekend in 11th place – a point behind Manchester United – having taken just 11 points from their opening eight games.
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