New Chelsea, better Arsenal
Stamford Bridge will play host to the fiercest Premier League fixture this season as second-place Chelsea entertain leaders Arsenal as the London rivals battle in a decisive match on the back of impressive wins.
The Londoners have emerged as two of the best sides in the world currently, and after their most recent wins, Chelsea against Barcelona, and Arsenal against Bayern Munich, in the Champions League, it wouldn’t be blasphemy to tag them the two best teams in the world.
Talk of form, both have been on special runs, with Chelsea winning five and drawing one in their last six, while Arsenal has drawn just one in 13 games, winning all of the remainder.
Their fan bases are really hyped for this meeting as each thinks of their team as the better side, and on Sunday, the matter will be decided when Mikel Arteta’s team travel to Stamford Bridge to face their improved host.
It’s a new Chelsea, and an even better Arsenal
Chelsea are winless in their last seven meetings with Arsenal in the Premier League, with five defeats, but even Mikel Arteta, who has led Arsenal in this run knows that this is a different Chelsea.
Nevertheless, Arsenal are currently at their best after their recent victory over Bayern Munich, who had not lost in 19 games this season, and only dropped points once.
It is a difficult game for both sides, especially in the form they are in. After Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday night, the feeling would have been that they could beat anyone. But after watching Arsenal eat up Bayern Munich 24 hours later, things have again hung in the balance.
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Impressive numbers behind the season
Chelsea and Arsenal are not just second and first in the Premier League; their dominance in the most prophesied league in the world is reflected in the statistics, and they have so far set the pace for others to follow.
Arsenal boasts the best defence with 0.5 goals conceded per game, while Chelsea is joint fourth with 0.9, and have kept six clean sheets so far, with Arsenal the only team to better that tally with seven.
The Gunners are also joint top for goals scored with 24, a lead they shared with Manchester City, who have relied more on goals from Erling Haaland, 13, with their next top scorer being Burnley defender Maxime Esteve, who scored two own goals when the two sides clashed at the end of September.
helsea follow in third place with just a goal behind the duo on 23, while they have kept clean sheets in their last three games across all competitions, while Arsenal have none in that period, and recently conceded in the Champions League for the first time this season.
Chelsea have created the most big chances with 39, four ahead of Arsenal, but the Gunners are the only side to have 400+ touches in the opposition box so far, with Chelsea 76 fewer.
The worry for Chelsea is that two of their three league defeats so far have come at Stamford Bridge, and adding to the fact that Arsenal have turned the venue into their training ground in recent meetings, there is an urgency to rewrite the narratives.
More on form guide & analysis
Chelsea have scored the opening goals in their last 12 games, although they ended up losing two of them, nine have ended in wins.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have come from behind to win once, the victory against Newcastle United at the Saint James’ Park, while they rescued a point against Man City and at the Stadium of Light, with Liverpool holding on for the win in Matchday 3.
Scoring first will be key for either of these sides, especially Chelsea, who may find it difficult to break down the Arsenal defence, and risk conceding chances on transition.
Arsenal have scored 42 goals across all competitions this season, 12 of which have been contributed by substitute players, all the more reason Chelsea can not afford to have Arsenal in front at any point in the game, as it could be game over from there.
Arsenal have won 100 percent of the games where they have scored the first goal this season, and only Sunderland have scored more than once against them, two, in a 2-2 draw.
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Head to Head
Chelsea will have the home advantage on Sunday, but Arsenal is no stranger to the hostile atmosphere in West London, and it hasn’t affected them in their most recent visits, since their last defeat there in August 2018.
Arsenal have won three and drawn as many in their last six Premier League visits to Chelsea, their longest run without losing at the home of the Blues since a run of nine between April 1997 to April 2004.
Chelsea’s last win over Arsenal came in August 2021, with Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding, and Kieran Tierney the starting defenders for Mikel Arteta’s charge on the day.
A 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Romelu Lukaku and Reece James in the Emirates has been their only win in their last 11 against the Gunners, who have won seven since then.
Arsenal have won all their games against Chelsea when heading into the game as league leaders, with one of the four times coming at Stamford Bridge 22 years ago, with the Gunners picking up the league title at the end of the campaign.
Chelsea will know it’s an all-or-nothing game as failure to win could see them drop to fourth at the end of the gameweek, and Enzo Maresca would not want to risk surrendering momentum when everything seems to be going great for them.
Injuries and fitness updates
Cole Palmer has been passed fit to start the game should Maresca intend to call on his best player. Aside from long-term absentees, like Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo, and Romeo Lavia, the host has no worries on the injury front.
Arsenal are not so lucky, although the injury list is starting to free up with Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard, and Noni Madueke recently returning to action, the trip will come too soon for Gabriel Jesus, who has since returned to training after almost 11 months on the sidelines.
Leandro Trossard will undergo a further scan to ascertain his availability, while Viktor Gyokeres is also a doubt after missing recent games following injury in the first half of the win over Burnley before the international break.
Gabriel Magalhaes will sit out this as well, but Arsenal have shown that they have enough to make up for these absences with Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera coming in for the Brazilian in the last two games.
Conclusion and Prediction
This clash is a genuine test of title credentials for both sides, pitting Chelsea’s devastating counter-attacking pace and high chance creation against Arsenal’s league-best defense and collective scoring threat.
The return of Cole Palmer is a huge boost for the Blues, although it remains to be seen if he’ll get to start. Nevertheless, Arsenal’s superior squad depth, highlighted by their influential finishers [substitutes] off the bench, gives them a slight edge.
Given Chelsea’s need to end their winless run against their rivals at Stamford Bridge and the tight defensive records, expect a cagey affair, because that is what you get playing against Arsenal. The Gunners will likely maintain their unbeaten streak at the Bridge, preserving their gap at the top.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal
