London - Whilst it wont ever capture the globes imagination like an el Cl??sico does or possess the historical significance of a Manchester or Merseyside derby, Sunday mornings Chelsea v Arsenal London derby is without doubt today the biggest football battle the capital city possesses. In doing so, the North London derby has been relegated into a distant second place. Over the last decade and more as Chelsea and Arsenal have gained permanent membership of the Barclays Premier Leagues virtuous circle for the elite, Spurs reside amongst its periphery. Earlier in the week, one London newspaper provided a compelling case of why Tottenham should place the greater emphasis on the Europa League ahead of the BPL this season. Its reasoning, even after only six matches, Spurs stood little chance of making it to the Champions League via a top four finish whilst this seasons Europa League winners will be granted an automatic spot. Comfort though can be taken for Spurs supporters from Chelseas 6-0 dismantling of Arsenal in the corresponding fixture last season in a match that signified Arsene Wengers 1,000th in charge for the North Londoners - which he described at the time as not a bad day but a nightmare. Speaking of nightmares, a player who just cant help himself against Arsenal is Didier Drogba. Wenger, who celebrated 18 years at the helm of the Gunners just this past Tuesday, got a gift of sorts from his London neighbour early Friday with Chelsea announcing Drogba wont feature Sunday due to an ankle injury. Not that Wengers team will need any further motivation to make amends for last seasons aberration but adding a further layer of spice to Sundays encounter will be the sight of Cesc F??bregas trotting out of the tunnel in the blue shirt of Chelsea. This is sure to raise a few eyebrows and one or two Anglo-Saxon opinions from the 3,000 strong travelling support. In his pre-match press conference Friday morning, Wenger reignited his war of words with Mourinho by disclosing F??bregas preferred option was to return to the club he joined in late summer 2003 which was in stark contrast to what Mourinho said this summer after the Fabregas signing was announced. With close to $75 million invested in ?–zil, there was no way back for a player who in October 2003 became at 16 years and 177 days the youngest ever to put on the fabled Arsenal shirt in the clubs close to 130-year history. At Mourinhos pre-match press conference, which took place shortly after Wengers, he refused to be drawn on the Fabregas matter nor offer an apology to Wenger for anointing him a Specialist in Failure back on Valentines Day. No love lost between these two managers then. Mourinho did offer Wenger his congratulations on bringing up 18 years of service in North London. Tipping his hat to the remarkable Invincible Arsenal side of 2003/04 which went the whole season undefeated, Mourinho offered an unequivocal, No - when asked if he thought he could emulate such a unique achievement. In terms of whether there was an added intensity surrounding Sundays derby, Mourinho extended another one word response, Yes. The match has been a sell-out since just after the BPL schedule was released back in mid-June. Ticket brokers are a reliable source of what people are willing to pay these days to attend sporting events of this magnitude. The law of the resell market often states the bigger the occasion, the bigger the pay off. Now consider this. An all-inclusive to October 25ths el Cl??sico at the Santiago Bernebeau, including a return flight from London to Madrid plus a match ticket, would set you back less money than brokers are quoting for just a match ticket Sunday. If Frankies Sports Diner located inside Stamford Bridge for Tuesdays Champions League match away to Sporting Lisbon is any indication of how cosmopolitan the crowd will be on Sunday, then you get a clear idea of what helps to influence the market price for tickets. Then of course as Stamford Bridge only holds just north of 40,000, the law of supply and demand has a significant effect as well. Hospitality Packages, something you couldnt give away when I was a very frequent visitor to Stamford Bridge back in the 1980s, are also sold out. These were offered for sale by Chelsea for upwards up ?￡895 [$1,700]. The only option left earlier today was taking a Matchday Dining Package at the sumptuous 4-star hotel that is located inside Stamford Bridge. One of these would set you back ?￡495, throw in a room for the night and you wouldnt be getting much change out of $2,000. With patrons willing to absorb such sums to savour Sundays match, its hardly surprising Chelsea have for the past five years been weighing up all their options regarding the future of Stamford Bridge. Early this week, it was widely reported Chelsea will remain at Stamford Bridge and move into the home of English Rugby, Twickenham for a season whilst Stamford Bridge is upgraded. The magnificent 82,000 capacity stadium located some seven miles along the Thames will host next years Rugby Union World Cup Final. Much more than London bragging rights, and three valuable points in the title chase are at stake Sunday. Having faced a Mourinho-led Chelsea team 11 times previously, Wenger is still to savour the taste of victory. Diego Costa, who has been an absolute revelation since his summer move from the Spanish capital, needs two goals to make it into Chelsea folklore and emulate club legend, Jack Cock, who took just seven games to hit the 10 league goal mark back in 1919/20. I have a sneaking suspicion as well, Mourinho who prides heritage and tradition above much else, and no matter what the outcome on the pitch, will invite his opposite number into his office post-match to share a bottle of red wine, much like he did so often with the BPLs vintage man himself, Sir Alex Ferguson. Key is will they be drinking a 12-year old bottle of wine to reflect a 12th straight winless game for Wenger or will it be 18-years old to signify the 64-year old Frenchmans loyal Arsenal service? Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Trey Burton Jersey . - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Marvin Hall Jersey . Her return engagement begins tonight as TSN presents Day 1 coverage of the 2015 event from Melbourne. Watch Eugenie Bouchards opening round match at the Australian Open live tonight on TSN5 at 3am et/Midnight pt. http://www.cheapbearsjerseyschina.com/rashaad-coward-jersey/. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Mike Singletary Jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings take aim at an eighth straight victory on Monday night as they wrap up a road trip versus the Calgary Flames. Ben Braunecker Jersey . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club.KRASNAYA POLAYNA, Russia -- Brian McKeever and Chris Klebl made sure Canada finished the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games on a high note. The cross-country skiers both won their races on Sunday, with McKeever taking the mens visually impaired 10-kilometre event before Klebl surprised the field with a stunning victory in the mens 10-kilometre sitting category. McKeever picked up his third gold medal -- and the 10th of his career -- at these Games, while Klebl won his first-ever Paralympic medal. The victories pushed Canadas overall medal count to 16, three shy of the 19 won at the Vancouver Games four years ago. More importantly, they moved Canada to third in the gold-medal standings, a stated goal that team officials set prior to the Paralympics. Russia topped the standings with an eye-popping 80 medals -- including 30 gold -- while Ukraine was second with 25 total medals. Germany was second behind Russia in the gold-medal count with nine. McKeever finished Sundays race in a time of 23 minutes 18.1 seconds, just 8.1 seconds ahead of Russias Stanislav Chokhlaev. He employed the same strategy with his guides that helped him win the 20-kilometre gold medal last week. With windy conditions starting to wear on guide Erik Carleton, Graham Nishikaawa entered the race with about three kilometres to go to help seal the 10th gold medal of McKeevers storied career.dddddddddddd "It was all on the guides today. They did such a great job with all the headwind," said McKeever. "There was so much wind out there today that just to be tucked in, I saved a lot of energy. By the time we got to the last lap there was still a little bit of gas left, just enough to get by." The 42-year-old Klebl won in a time of 30 minutes 52.0 seconds. Ukraines Maksym Yarovyi finished second at 31:06.5 and Russias Grigory Murygin skied to the bronze at 31:18.2. "It feels pretty good for sure," said Klebl. "I have exceptional skis for wet, sloppy conditions and today we got exactly