Three-o Walcott can pile more misery on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Arsenal attacker Theo Walcott has three goals in his last five Premier League starts against Chelsea, and is therefore an enticing 15/8 chance with Coral to net anytime against them in this lunchtime Saturday kick-off fixture at Stamford Bridge.

The England forward has also scored 11 in as many top-flight matches when given the nod by Arsene Wenger and included in the Gunners XI, so is an even more tempting 13/2 to strike first and inflict more misery on the Blues.

Champions Chelsea have started their Premier League title defence in the worst possible fashion, after taking just four points from their opening five games to put them down in 17th place and 11 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.

However, they were the only English team to win their opening Champions League fixture in the midweek with a 4-0 thrashing of Maccabi Tel Aviv, and are undefeated against Arsenal in the last seven top-flight clashes.

Jose Mourinho’s Blues are 29/20 favourites, therefore, to claim their second victory of the domestic league this season to finally kick-start their campaign.

Wenger’s Gunners, who lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in Europe, are 19/10 chances to repeat their Community Shield triumph over Chelsea in the 2015/16 season curtain-raiser, although a draw at 12/5 could be a better shout.

The last time Arsenal did win at Stamford Bridge, it produced a 5-3 thriller in 2011. Chelsea hit the Gunners for six without reply in 2013/14, meanwhile; so if you fancy there to be over 5.5 goals again in this match, then take tasty odds of 10/1.

Home stars Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, who have arguably not had the best of seasons so far individually either, both netted in this fixture last term, so are respective 2/1 and 5/4 chances to score anytime once more.

For the victors, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got the sole goal in the Community Shield, so is 5/1 to find the net again. Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez are more fancied in the anytime market, though.

Whatever the outcome, Arsenal will still find themselves above Chelsea, as they currently occupy the fourth Champions League spot with a six point lead over their London rivals. If they are to increase that deficit, Wenger will need to beat his bitter foe Mourinho for the first time in a competitive match.

Coral’s top tip: Walcott has three goals in his last five league starts against Chelsea, so is 15/8 to score against them anytime.