Sunday’s Premier League action closes out at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea and Arsenal lock horns in a mouth-watering London derby.
How to Watch?
The standout fixture of Matchday 11 kicks off at 4.30 pm GMT and is available on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Subscribers can catch the live stream through the Sky Go app as Chelsea attempt to further dent Arsenal’s title ambitions (read more about live streaming all football games here).
Chelsea News
Chelsea set themselves up perfectly for this all-London showdown, putting Armenian outfit Noah to the sword in midweek Europa Conference League action.
Six unanswered first-half goals set the tone for a landslide 8-0 home victory, notching up the club’s biggest-ever win in modern-day European competition.
The Blues fell only one goal short of the club’s most convincing triumph since 1971 but still reignited their spirits following a dramatic 1-1 draw at Manchester United last weekend.
Enzo Maresca’s side have strolled through the opening three Europa Conference League rounds, racking up three wins via an eye-catching 16-3 scoreline while netting 4+ goals on each occasion.
Arsenal News
Unlike their hosts, Arsenal’s freefall continued on Wednesday as Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half penalty inspired Inter Milan to a narrow 1-0 Champions League victory.
Despite boasting 62 percent possession and generating a substantial 2.22 xG, Mikel Arteta’s side drew a blank for the second game on the trot following a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United last Saturday.
It’s too early to speak about the crisis, but the Gunners are a mere shadow of a team that challenged Manchester City’s title credentials until the final day of last season.
They already trail Premier League pacesetters Liverpool by seven points and cannot afford another slip-up in this heavyweight clash against bitter cross-capital rivals.
Fantasy Selection
Chelsea’s spotlight has firmly been on Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson this season.
The latter leads the club’s scoring charts with seven goals and five assists, hence a prohibitive £11.0 million price tag.
However, he’s worth every penny. The same goes for Jackson, who has amassed six goals and three assists.
If Palmer fails to recover from a knock, the Senegalese striker would be a wise pick.
As for Arsenal, Bukayo Saka is a no-brainer. He has bagged three goals and seven assists in the Premier League.
Watch out for Kai Havertz. The Gunners’ leading league goalscorer with five goals put his stamp on a 5-0 win in their last meeting with Chelsea in April.
Team Updates
Chelsea
Free of fresh injury concerns, Chelsea will likely field an identical starting XI that faced Man Utd a week ago.
Palmer is the only doubt after being on the receiving end of a nasty tackle against United.
Christopher Nkunku is the most realistic fall-back option if needed.
With Jadon Sancho struggling with illness, Pedro Neto will probably retain his place in Maresca’s line-up.
Despite conceding a cheap penalty at Old Trafford, Robert Sanchez will remain in goal.
Arsenal
Injuries to Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu have left Arteta strapped for reliable defensive alternatives.
Declan Rice’s availability is in the balance after the ex-West Ham United midfielder broke his toe against Newcastle.
On a more positive note, Martin Odegaard made a late cameo appearance against Inter after recovering from a long-term ankle injury.
However, Arteta will unlikely risk fielding his captain from the start, with Leandro Trossard the most suitable back-up option.
Premier League Form Guide
Chelsea
Despite entering this round narrowly ahead of Arsenal in the standings, fourth-placed Chelsea have recently hit a rough patch in the Premier League.
Level on points with their visitors, Maresca’s charges have only won once in their last four league outings (D2, L1).
That doesn’t bode well as they aim to defy a dreadful run of just one victory from their last nine top-flight matches against the Gunners (D2, L6).
As if that’s not concerning enough, the Blues had lost three consecutive league games against Arsenal at the Bridge before a 2-2 draw in this corresponding fixture last term.
Arsenal
In addition to their outstanding recent record against Chelsea, Arteta’s troops have excelled in London derbies, winning the last six on the bounce by a combined score of 22-3.
Against this backdrop, they have lost their last two away league encounters without finding the net.
As a result of this recent drop-off, Arsenal are staring down the barrel of a three-game losing Premier League streak on the road without scoring for the first time since 1994.
But they traditionally run riot after a European fixture, suffering just one defeat in their last 26 Premier League games immediately after a continental contest (W19, D6).
