Chelsea and Arsenal are set to renew their rivalry at Stamford Bridge, with the Gunners seeking redemption from recent run of results.
Enzo Maresca will aim for a significant result under his belt, something he has yet to achieve since taking over at the Stamford Bridge dugout. Chelsea are coming into Sunday’s game against Arsenal on the back of an mammoth 8-0 result in the UEFA Europa Conference League against FC Noah. But that scoreline should not be taken into account when they face Arsenal on Sunday.
Chelsea have enjoyed a decent start to the season despite their opening-day defeat to Manchester City. Maresca has since brought back some of the mojo of previous eras, as his team would only suffer another defeat, which came at Anfield against Liverpool. In truth, Chelsea have had a challenging run lately, which included visits to Anfield and hosting Newcastle United as prepare themselves for Arsenal.
Last weekend, Chelsea went away to Old Trafford but could only muster a draw in what proved to be a cagey game. However, Arsenal represent a more extensive test of their character under Maresca. A win might assert the mild belief of their title credentials, but three points on Sunday will be a big statement of intent from the Blues.
Arsenal have had a difficult period on all fronts, which Mikel Arteta will hope to revive soon. In recent weeks, the Gunners have had a combination of problems in their squad with injuries and suspensions, which has seen them collect only a single point in their past three games, including defeats away to Bournemouth and Newcastle United.
Arteta hopes their problems will end after the narrow loss to Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, as he wants his side fired up. In hindsight, Arsenal have had the most challenging run of fixtures in the ten games played so far, including visits to Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Newcastle United, as well as the home draw against Liverpool.
The Gunners have some questions to answer, as the recent defeats have cast major doubts on their title credentials. They are already seven points behind leaders Liverpool. Arteta remains optimistic and wants to bring about the kind of form that saw his team thrash Chelsea 5-0 at the Emirates last season as he now prepares for a massive encounter against their London rivals at Stamford Bridge.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Chelsea’s biggest worry against Arsenal is star man Cole Palmer, who has missed training since the visit to Old Trafford. It is believed that the kick from Lisandro Martinez on his knee has been the reason for his absence, although Enzo Maresca has not ruled him out of the Arsenal clash.
There is a firm belief that Palmer will prove his fitness to start against Arsenal on Sunday. Beyond him, there are some doubts about Jadon Sancho, who has been suffering from illness. Omari Kellyman is the only injury-enforced absentee in the squad.
Maresca will have the luxury of choosing from a strong group of players and will name his strongest eleven to face their London rivals. He will continue to keep faith in Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill, while Reece James is expected to continue at left-back and counter the threat posed by Bukayo Saka. Malo Gusto will be the starting right-back and probably the more advanced defender from an attacking sense.
Maresca will likely persist with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in central midfield, with Palmer in that No.10 role. Noni Madueke is sure to start on the right wing, with Pedro Neto on the left, as Nicolas Jackson leads the line for Chelsea against Arsenal.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, James; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta did not take Declan Rice with him to take on Inter Milan on Wednesday, with reports suggesting he has a broken toe to deal with, although there is no confirmation as to the severity of his injury. The Arsenal boss has not ruled him out, and it is not uncommon for players to play through such a problem, especially if the injured toe is the less significant one.
Apart from Rice, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, and Riccardo Calafiori are the only absentees against Chelsea, as Arsenal’s list of absentees continues to reduce with each passing game. Following the Inter Milan game, there are some concerns regarding Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz. The latter suffered from a nasty cut to his head right before the full-time whistle, while the Spaniard was taken off at half-time with a problem.
Both those players have suffered from head injuries of varying degrees, which does make them a bit of a doubt for Sunday. On the positive side, Martin Odegaard made a return to the pitch for the final minutes owing to Havertz’s withdrawal, as Arteta hinted the skipper could be in contention for Sunday.
There are doubts about whether Odegaard will play from the get-go. Either way, the Arsenal captain could start against Chelsea or come for at least one-third of the game. If Rice is fit enough, he will go into the starting lineup alongside the in-form Thomas Partey, while Arteta is likely to name a similar lineup from Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Key Stats
- Chelsea are winless against Arsenal in their last five Premier League games at Stamford Bridge.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in four games at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have won five of their last six games against Chelsea, with the other being a draw last season at Stamford Bridge.
- Arsenal have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches against Chelsea in all competitions.
- Arsenal have only won two of their last six games across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Martin Odegaard
Cole Palmer and Declan Rice’s fitness is a concern ahead of this meeting at Stamford Bridge. But the big focus will be on Odegaard and his potential return to the Arsenal setup. Arteta has every chance to name his skipper from the start or keep him on the bench to have an impact in the latter part of the game.
Either way, Odegaard is expected to come on the pitch, as he hopes to have a great impact on proceedings. Arsenal have felt the effects of his absence from a creative standpoint, and Arteta will want his skipper to put in a memorable performance upon his long-awaited return to action against Chelsea.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-3 Arsenal
On paper, Chelsea could turn a corner against Arsenal with a stunning victory at Stamford Bridge. However, the circumstances might have changed. The Gunners, with their loss in form, might not be seen as a clear-cut winner, but Chelsea have struggled this season when playing against the bigger teams.
Arsenal, boosted by Martin Odegaard’s return, could see a return to free-flowing football. Their defence could also kick into gear ahead of this trip to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will struggle to break down the Gunners’ defence, while Arteta will see his side score past the Blues more than once to secure a much-needed win.