The Blues will travel to the Emirates aiming for their first victory against Arsenal since 2021, after suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat in north London last season. ..Continue Reading
Enzo Maresca’s side has a chance to close the gap on Arsenal to just three points, but Chelsea’s performance in high-stakes games this season has been underwhelming.
They enter the match riding a wave of confidence from four consecutive wins across all competitions, including three clean sheets.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are winless in their last three Premier League matches, and with both teams dealing with injuries to key players, the encounter seems finely balanced.
Maresca has confirmed Robert Sanchez will return as goalkeeper, hoping the Spaniard delivers a solid performance to avoid harsh criticism.
Ahead of the clash, Mikel Arteta has praised Maresca in his pre-match comments, while Merson has shared his thoughts on the upcoming derby.
“What do I even say about Chelsea? They bored Leicester into submission last weekend! The way they are playing, I don’t see how they can beat Arsenal here,” he told Sportskeeda as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle.
“Arsenal need to win this game. A defeat to Chelsea would pull the Gunners back into the race to finish in the top four.
“Chelsea are a better team when Cole Palmer is firing, but without Nicolas Jackson he has struggled. I expect Palmer to find more space to operate in during this game, but I’m not sure Chelsea have enough to trouble Arsenal, Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea.”
A defeat would possibly see Maresca’s side drop out of the top four depending on other results and would leave a huge question mark over their capability of getting results in big games.
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