Crouch, however, highlighted Chelsea’s defensive frailties, saying they will concede despite the potency of their attack.
By Kehinde Okeowo
British pundit and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has tipped Chelsea to beat their local rivals and Premier League champions Arsenal when they meet at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The former England striker, while speaking on the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, predicted that the Blues will edge the derby encounter 3-2.
Arsenal kicked off their Premier League title defence on an impressive note, decisively defeating newly promoted Coventry 3-0 in their first match of the season.
They then followed it up with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Monday night, with Saka netting the only goal of the encounter and taking his tally for the season to two.
On their part, Chelsea defeated fellow London club Fulham 3-2 and Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, accumulating six points from their first two matches.
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On Sunday, however, the focus will shift to the captivating London derby between the two sides, who will be targeting nine points and bragging rights after the tie.
Despite Chelsea’s glaring defensive frailties at the back, Crouch believes Xabi Alonso’s men will edge the third-round league fixture narrowly.
While analysing the match on the show, he said: “Great game! Two teams looking good as well. I think Chelsea will concede.
“I’m going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and I’m going to go for a 3-2 Chelsea win.
“I think they’ve announced themselves as title contenders.”
