Chelsea vs Arsenal Preview – Prediction, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Stamford Bridge is the venue as Chelsea and Arsenal go head-to-head in Wednesday’s blockbuster all-London Premier League showdown.

Chelsea bounced back from a horrific 4-1 home defeat to Brentford with a stellar 6-0 triumph away to mid-table Southampton last time out to solidify their position in the top-four run-in.

Coming into this matchday, Thomas Tuchel’s men sit comfortably in third, eight points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, and should be waltzing away with Champions League qualification by winning this match-up.

The Blues head into proceedings on the back of a comprehensive 2-0 win over fellow London rivals Crystal Palace in their FA Cup semi-final tie to set up another trophy showdown against Liverpool.

Tuchel backed his Chelsea players to pursue revenge against the Reds following a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out reverse in February’s EFL Cup showpiece.

“Call it revenge, it doesn’t matter. We all have this competitive feeling, it’s clear,” he said in the pre-match conference, as relayed by Sports Illustrated.

On the other hand, Arsenal’s hopes of securing their first top-four Premier League finish since 2015/16 are hanging by a thread following a series of setbacks.

Mikel Arteta’s men have lost their last three league matches in a row, including a disheartening 1-0 defeat at St Mary’s Stadium last time out, falling three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

With a game in hand on Spurs, the Gunners are still very much in contention for a fourth-place finish, yet they can ill-afford another slip-up here.

Chelsea vs Arsenal, coupled with other midweek Premier League fixtures, are available to watch live online via football streaming sites.

Match Preview

Chelsea

Following a routine 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the reverse fixture, Chelsea will be looking to complete their first league double over Arsenal since 2015/16.

However, the Blues have suffered defeats in their last two competitive matches at Stamford Bridge, as many reverses as they had in their 27 home games beforehand (W17, D8).

Another failure here would see Chelsea lose back-to-back home London derbies in the Premier League for the first time in the 21st century when the second reverse came at the hands of Arsenal.

Arsenal

The Gunners will be under pressure to prove their top-four credentials at Stamford Bridge after losing both previous away London Premier League derbies by 2+ goals ‘to nil.’

After losing three consecutive Premier League fixtures for the third time under Arteta, Arsenal could make it four defeats in a row in the competition for the first time since 1995.

Arteta’s side can draw inspiration from their eye-catching midweek H2H form in England’s top-flight, having gone unbeaten in their last 11 such contests (W5, D6).

Team News

Chelsea will be without Ben Chilwell, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mateo Kovacic as all have yet to recover from injuries.

As for Arsenal, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney are ruled out for the remainder of the season. They are still sweating over Alexandre Lacazette, who missed out on the Southampton game due to illness.

Chelsea Potential Starting XI

(3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Reece James, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso; Mason Mount, Timo Werner; Romelu Lukaku.

Arsenal Potential Starting XI

(4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale; Cedric Soares, Ben White, Gabriel, Nuno Tavares; Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe; Gabriel Martinelli.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Prediction

Chelsea have momentum firmly on their side, and we back the Gunners to collapse in another high-stake fixture.

Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal