The great London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal returns to Stamford Bridge! Chelsea will be hoping to avenge their bitter rivals from up North for the last game which ended with unwanted glare 3-0 for the Gunners in September 2016, while tomorrow’s visitors will be hoping for anything else than a loss which would take them 12 points away from the league leaders.
Chelsea avoided a loss on Tuesday when they traveled to Anfield for an entertaining, well-fought 1-1 draw which could’ve had a better ending to it follow Diego Costa’s late penalty miss. The Blues, however, did a lot better than Arsenal, who grounded with a 2-1 home defeat against Watford the very same evening.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are currently flying high in the league with a nine point-margin to Arsenal and Tottenham below, and there could be plenty of entertainment in store for tomorrow afternoon’s early kick-off.
Match Details
Kick-off at 12.30 UK Time at Stamford Bridge. Live coverage available on our exclusive live blog and TV broadcast from Sky Sports 1.
Injury News
Chelsea centre-back David Luiz confirmed he’s carrying a knee injury after last Tuesday’s game at Liverpool – where he scored a stunning 30-yard free-kick goal – but Antonio Conte has in today’s press conference told there are no injuries in the Chelsea team to face Arsenal.
Meanwhile Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is likely to miss the fixture due to a calf strain, and Santi Cazorla due to a plantaris injury. This could lead to become a major problem for the Gunners in this very pivotal game, since Grenit Xhaka is also set to miss the game due to a suspension. Perhaps they’ll be trying to loan Fabregas in for one quick game?
One to watch
Alexis Sanchez – Without a doubt, Sanchez is and has for long been the most threatening Arsenal player in their squad. This season hasn’t been any worse for him, as he’s already scored 15 goals in the Premier League – the same amount as Chelsea’s top-scorer Diego Costa – with eight assists to top that.
He bagged one goal in the teams’ previous meeting, and would be happier than ever to score one more tomorrow afternoon. Chelsea defenders need to stay all around him, as he’s most likely to start upfront with Olivier Giroud set to benched for the match.
Recent form
Chelsea: D W W W W (Goals for: 14 Goals against: 2)
Arsenal: L W W W W (Goals for: 15 Goals against: 3)
Previous meetings
Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea (Sanchez, Walcott, Özil) – September 2016
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Diego Costa) – January 2016
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal (Zouma, Hazard) – September 2015
Match Prediction
Both of the teams have enjoyed a good period of scoring goals for the goods, so we’ll be predicting a tight 2-1 victory for the Blues, with Cesc Fabregas netting one against his old side for the late winner at the Bridge! Utopian, but very possible.
