Arsenal vs Chelsea: Preview, predictions and lineups

The Emirates Stadium plays host to an all-London affair in the Premier League on Sunday as Arsenal take on top four hopefuls Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have enjoyed their recent duels with the Blues, although they were held to a point by Enzo Maresca’s side back in November. A Pedro Neto strike from distance cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli’s opener.

That contest arrived before Chelsea embarked on a stellar run which briefly saw them considered title contenders. They’ve been brought back down to Earth over the past couple of months, with securing a place in next season’s Champions League their primary objective for the remainder of 2024/25.

After winning back-to-back league games, Chelsea are fourth with 49 points. They’re six points off Arsenal in second, with the Gunners extending their winless run in the league to three games last week as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

Their deficit to league leaders Liverpool is 15 points with just nine games remaining after this weekend. However, they remain in the Champions League and will surely prioritise their quarter-final with Real Madrid next month.

Here is 90min’s guide to Sunday’s London derby.

Arsenal vs Chelsea head-to-head record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

Arteta made wholesale changes for Wednesday’s second leg against PSV, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Raheem Sterling both impressing on rare starts. Sterling, however, cannot feature against his parent club this weekend.

Gabriel Martinelli could make his first start in over a month, while Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey are expected to return to Arsenal’s midfield. Jurrien Timber should return to the Gunners’ backline after enjoying some midweek respite.

Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain out of action.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Merino, Martinelli.

Chelsea have recently been boosted by the return of Wesley Fofana from injury, and the Frenchman is expected to partner Levi Colwill, who didn’t feature on Thursday, at the Emirates.

Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, and Reece James are all set for returns to Maresca’s team.

The Blues are still without Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, with Pedro Neto likely to lead the visitors’ line again. Christopher Nkunku is an alternative. David Datro Fofana, Marc Guiu, and Malo Gusto are likely to miss out.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Sancho; Neto.

Arteta and Maresca rotated in midweek, so both starting XIs should be pretty fresh. While Arsenal continue to struggle for goals domestically, they’re facing a Chelsea team with a poor recent record in this fixture.

The Gunners have an alternative attacking option available in Martinelli, and although the Blues have won four on the bounce, supporters are struggling with Maresca and his rather mundane style. With Palmer out of sorts and Jackson sidelined, the visitors are unlikely to cause too much damage, but Arsenal’s own final third woes mean a battering – like last season’s 5-0 – shouldn’t come to pass.

A competitive and tight affair at the Emirates could be edged by the hosts.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

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