Chelsea vs Arsenal Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups | OneFootball

Battling for pride, territory and ambition, Chelsea will welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon in what is set to be a mouth-watering London derby.

Both sides will enter the game on the back of European successes. The Blues got the better of Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the Champions League, while the Gunners advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League following their victory over Zurich.

After their humbling against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, the Blues returned to winning ways when Dinamo took a trip to the English capital.

The Croatian champions took an early lead through Bruno Petkovic in a tie they needed to win to keep their European hopes alive, but goals from Raheem Sterling and Denis Zakaria denied Ante Cacic their European dream.

Winning in Europe is always the perfect tonic after a demoralising domestic defeat, but Chelsea were made to work for their success over Dinamo, who would not go down without a fight.

Graham Potter has suffered just one defeat in 11 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel as manager, but his side still have some ground to make up in the Premier League table as they lie in sixth position, three points behind Newcastle United in fourth with a game in hand.

Having avenged their shocking opening-day defeat to Dinamo and closed out Group E as group winners, the Blues will return to domestic action to face a stern test from their London counterparts.

The Gunners saw their nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions end against Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven, but it now looks like a blip on their radar as they won their next two games.

Mikel Arteta’s side were in their groove when they swatted aside relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium to keep their place at the top of the table.

Kieran Tierney’s thunderbolt ensured the Gunners secured consecutive home victories with a nervy 1-0 win over Swiss side Zurich and will face their London rivals brimming with confidence.

Arsenal will enter the weekend still two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, but they could be knocked down to second by Sunday if they fail to win and the champions beat Fulham.

Match Preview

Chelsea

Potter will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Arsenal, who have become his favourite opponent in the league. The English manager has won three of his six league meetings with Arsenal (D1, L2) – no side has he beaten more often in the competition than the Gunners.

Having lost to Brighton last time out, the Blues will be keen to avoid successive league defeats which last occurred during Frank Lampard’s tenure in December 2020.

Chelsea have lost three of their last four league games against Arsenal (W1), more than they had in their previous 17 against the Gunners, where they lost just twice (W9, D6).

Stamford Bridge has been kind to the Blues recently, as they are unbeaten in 12 consecutive games in all competitions on home territory.

However, Arsenal were the last team to register a win over the Blues in west London, so Chelsea will need to take full advantage of their extra 24 hours of rest to avoid another home defeat to the Gunners.

Arsenal

All five points that Arsenal have dropped in the league this season have come on their travels. However, they still have the best away record of any side this season, scoring 11 goals (the second-best in the league) and conceding just four (the league’s best) thus far.

Arteta has led Arsenal to consecutive victories at Stamford Bridge in the last two seasons, and a new club record could be on the horizon for the Gunners as they chase a third successive league win at the Bridge for the first time since 1974.

Arsenal have won their last four league London derbies and are looking to match their record of five achieved between April and October 2013.

They have won their last two away derbies without conceding so far this season, but they have never won three in a row while keeping a clean sheet each time before.

A fast start for Arsenal will do their chances of a victory the world of good, and the Gunners have shown they are no strangers to early goals thus far.

They have scored more goals in the opening 30 minutes of league games this season than any other side (11) and are the only side yet to concede in that timeframe.

The Gunners are also one of three sides yet to concede in the final 15 minutes of games (along with Brighton and Southampton), netting five goals themselves.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Predicted Line-ups

Chelsea (4-3-3): Edouard Mendy; Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella; Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Mason Mount, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.

How to Watch?

Chelsea vs Arsenal, alongside all other fixtures in England’s top flight, is available to watch online via live Premier League streams.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Prediction

We expect a closely contested spectacle – one that should see both sides settle for a pulsating draw.

Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal