Former Arsenal star, Charlie Nicholas has tipped Chelsea to defeat Malmo 3-0 in tonight’s UEFA Champions League round of 32 second-leg clash at Stamford Bridge.
He also predicted Arsenal to beat BATE Borisov 5-0 on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second-leg tie at Emirates Stadium.
Nicholas told Sky Sports: “It’s a must-win game for Chelsea to build some confidence ahead of the final.
“I imagine Maurizio Sarri will give some players a chance like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Olivier Giroud, but for Sarri at the moment it’s just about survival, getting to the weekend and then seeing where it takes him.
“Sarri has been around and knows his time is probably up, so he will pick a team that will get them through this game, which I don’t think will be overly difficult, but then he has to have a thought process that says ‘I have never won anything other than a promotion, so I could actually get sacked by Chelsea and still win the Carabao Cup’. That’s what he has to think. Everything is about Sunday.
“Even if Zinedine Zidane was interested I don’t think he will touch this club until they are out of most competitions, that’s the only time he will want to start, and whoever suggested that Arsene Wenger would be a good manager for Chelsea needs a good turning of their ponytail!” “Chelsea 3, Malmo 0.”
Commenting on the Arsenal vs BATE game, Nicholas said: “BATE were pretty rotten at home and Arsenal should have scored three or four, so I think Arsenal will beat them quite easily at home. I can’t see anything too complicated here.
“I don’t think the Europa League is the priority for Arsenal this season that still has to be finishing in the top four in the Premier League. Unai Emery has a reputation in the Europa League but I think they will get through this round, see where the draw takes them and then evaluate the situation. I think at the moment the Europa League is behind top four in terms of Arsenal’s priorities.” “Arsenal 5, BATE 0.”
The kick-off time for Chelsea vs Malmo game is 9pm, while that of Arsenal vs BATE is 6:55pm.
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