As things stand, Arsenal is trailing only because of their slightly lower goal tally compared to Tottenham Hotspur. Mauricio Pochettino, the former head coach of Tottenham, is now finding his stride at Chelsea. Interestingly, Chelsea's winger, Raheem Sterling, was left out of Gareth Southgate's latest England squad for the second time in two months, despite England's qualification for Euro 2024.
This puzzled Chelsea fans. However, Sterling's omission seemed to light a fire under him, and he played a key role in Chelsea's impressive comeback win against Burnley a couple of weekends ago.
Although Wilson Odobert initially put Burnley ahead, they ended up losing 4-1, thanks to an own goal by Ameen Al-Dakhil, a penalty from Cole Palmer, a goal from Sterling, and a much-needed strike from Nicolas Jackson. This victory extended Chelsea's winning streak to three matches, including wins against Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham. Despite their recent success, Chelsea's 11th-place position in the Premier League standings is less than ideal.
However, the expensively assembled Chelsea squad now has a chance to extend their winning streak in the Premier League to three games, something they haven't achieved since October 2022. But it's worth noting that they lost their last two home games in the Premier League to Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, both by a 1-0 scoreline, and Arsenal managed to break their curse against Manchester City with a similar scoreline.
Arsenal headed into the international break as one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Premier League after eight fixtures. They share the top spot with Tottenham, with 20 points and a goal difference of +10. However, Tottenham leads due to their two extra goals. With Ange Postecoglou's team not playing until Monday, Arsenal has a chance to lead the table at the end of the weekend if they secure a victory at Stamford Bridge. This could also mark the first time they begin a Premier League campaign with four away wins and four clean sheets.
Arsenal stands out as the only team in the division with a perfect defensive record in their away matches. Stamford Bridge has been a favorable ground for Arsenal lately, having won their last three Premier League fixtures there, including a 3-1 victory at the Emirates in May. In fact, they've won six of their last seven encounters against Chelsea.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Chelsea is facing a daunting task dealing with a substantial number of injuries. They will be without several key players, including Wesley Fofana (knee), Christopher Nkunku (knee), Ben Chilwell (thigh), Romeo Lavia (ankle), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) when they face Arsenal. Additionally, Pochettino is concerned about the fitness of a few other players.There is some optimism that Nicolas Jackson, who had a wrist issue, and captain Reece James, who was seen in training despite reports of a setback, may be available for the match. However, even if Reece James isn't deemed ready, Malo Gusto is back from a domestic suspension and can step in on the right-hand side.
Several other players, including Marcus Bettinelli (knee), Axel Disasi (thigh), Benoit Badiashile (thigh), Cole Palmer (thigh), and Armando Broja, are on the borderline in terms of fitness. South American duo Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, who need to readjust to English conditions, are not likely to have their places in the lineup threatened.
While Arsenal's injury list is not as extensive, they did see three players withdraw from international duty this month. Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Leandro Trossard (hamstring), and William Saliba (toe) did not participate in international matches. Saliba has managed his chronic toe issue, but Trossard had to be substituted at halftime against Manchester City and is now a fresh injury concern. There have been limited updates on Saka's condition since he left the England camp shortly after arriving.
Fortunately, the mid-season break could have provided Saka with valuable rest, and it's likely that Gabriel Martinelli will be fit to return to the starting lineup in place of Trossard. Unfortunately, Jurrien Timber, who is recovering from an ACL injury, will continue to watch the action from the sidelines.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Chelsea possible starting lineup:Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal
For a long time, Arsenal had difficulty securing favorable results at Stamford Bridge. But they seem to have found a reliable approach to success on Chelsea's home ground. Their depth in talent might make all the difference in the second half of the match as Arteta's squad aims to halt Chelsea's resurgence and claim the top spot in the league.
