Gary Neville absent from Chelsea vs Arsenal due to ‘opportunity’ he couldn’t miss
Gary Neville was due to be in the penalty box for Chelsea against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, but the former Manchester United captain will instead be at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Gary Neville has revealed he will be absent from the Sky Sports commentary team for the Chelsea v Arsenal match as he will be present at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Manchester United icon, who often shares the commentary box with Peter Drury for the weekend’s best matches, chose to spend his weekend in the Middle East instead.
It is not yet clear who will take Neville’s place alongside Drury for this big Premier League match, but it is confirmed that Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge will offer their insights from the studio, with Dave Jones hosting the programme.
Despite the magnitude of the upcoming match, Neville’s absence could be forgiven as Lando Norris has a chance to win the Drivers’ Championship. The 50-year-old certainly relishes the opportunity to witness what could be a historic victory and gain an insider’s view of the operations.
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Speaking to Sky Sports on Saturday, he admitted: “I was supposed to come to Belgium a few months ago and it didn’t really happen but I said I wanted to come. I miss Chelsea v Arsenal but I have to say it’s worth it. Seeing the inside of the Mercedes garage is incredible, what an opportunity.
“I’ll watch (Sunday’s race) and I can sit around the Sky hangout or go hang out with the shrimp sandwich brigade.”
The London derby at Stamford Bridge is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., just half an hour after the start of the Qatar Grand Prix. Even if the title cannot be decided in west London, the result will have significant implications.
A win would put Arsenal nine points clear of Chelsea but, should the hosts triumph, they could reduce the gap at the top to just three. Following Chelsea’s impressive performance against Barcelona in the Champions League earlier this week, Mikel Arteta is keenly aware of the formidable challenge his side face.
He admitted: “It’s obviously a big game, it’s a big London derby. We’re going against a very, very good opponent; he’s in very good form.
“We know the challenge, we also know the opportunity we have on Sunday, so we are fully prepared to take it on. They are there (at the top of the table) because they fully deserve what they have done in recent years.
“I think the team they have put together, the numbers they have, the quality they have and the number of coaches they have, it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.”
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is also bracing for a tough match, acknowledging his side will need to be precise in front of goal as opportunities are likely to be few and far between.
He added: “Of course, they defend fantastically. Every team that plays them struggles to score goals, not only to score goals, but even to create chances. So it’s a team that they defend very well.
“Then they have weapons when they attack. So I think, as you said, at the moment they are first in the Champions League, they are first in the Premier League. And we are going to do our best to win the game.”
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