Preview: Arsenal vs Chelsea – stats, team news, line-ups
The Emirates Stadium braces for a pulsating Premier League encounter on Tuesday evening, as table-toppers Arsenal take on a wounded Chelsea desperate to salvage their season.
Arsenal reclaimed top spot after a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium, merely hours after Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final exit to Manchester City.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino will demand a strong response from his side against their capital rivals in a game you can watch live when you buy Chelsea tickets from Seatsnet.com.
A double blow earlier this month threatened to derail Arsenal’s campaign, with the Gunners previously in the mix for a historic double.
They suffered a first Premier League defeat of the year as top four hopefuls Aston Villa ran out 2-0 winners at the Emirates before falling short in their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Mikel Arteta’s side forced the Bavarians to a highly entertaining 2-2 draw at the Emirates, but a narrow 1-0 defeat in Germany sent the Gunners packing.
However, their resilience shone through as they bounced back with a crucial win against an injury-hit Wolves.
Goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard on either side of half time secured the win, and Arsenal established a new club record of six consecutive clean sheets away from home in the league.
This victory propelled Arsenal back to the Premier League summit, level on points with Liverpool and temporarily four points clear of City, who had FA Cup commitments over the weekend.
Arteta’s troops will aim to extend their lead further with a 24th league win of the season. They haven’t lost consecutive home games in the Premier League since April 2022.
Furthermore, their last run of back-to-back home defeats without scoring dates back to the empty stadium days of November 2020 and their attacking prowess is a stark contrast to a Chelsea side that struggled to find their groove at the weekend.
Chelsea’s quest for silverware under Pochettino’s leadership hit yet another frustrating roadblock on Saturday, as a wasteful performance saw them fall 1-0 to City in the FA Cup semi-final.
Despite a lengthy rest period compared to a City side still reeling from their Champions League quarter-final exit against Real Madrid, Chelsea dominated much of the encounter.
City looked every bit the tired side that endured a 120-minute duel with the record European champions.
The Blues capitalised on Pep Guardiola’s fatigued troops, carving out numerous opportunities, especially through Nicolas Jackson, who squandered several chances to put his team ahead.
Ultimately, a deflected Bernardo Silva strike proved to be the difference between both sides, ensuring that Pochettino’s agonising wait for his first trophy in England continues.
While his side were left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal, a controversial second-half penalty shout against Jack Grealish for handball also went unanswered.
Chelsea have every right to feel hard done by, but they only have themselves to blame after failing to convert any of the plethora of chances that went begging.
Chelsea’s wastefulness was in stark contrast to their 6-0 beatdown of Everton in their last Premier League fixture, marking the sixth top-flight contest in a row where they have netted at least two goals.
The Blues have now scored in their last 15 Premier League games since coincidentally going down 2-0 to Everton in December.
Despite the FA Cup disappointment, Chelsea remain firmly in the European hunt. They are currently ninth in the Premier League with an eight-game unbeaten run, putting them firmly in contention for a Europa League spot.
Arsenal rode their luck in October’s Stamford Bridge showdown with Chelsea, but they managed to scrape a 2-2 draw.
That stalemate stretched their unbeaten run against the Blues to four games, a sequence which includes a 3-1 success at the Emirates last season.
Match Preview
Arsenal head into their upcoming clash with Chelsea boasting a formidable record in 2024, with only a solitary defeat to Aston Villa tarnishing their otherwise impeccable form.
The Gunners rattled off a staggering 11 wins and a draw in their opening 12 Premier League matches of the year, a testament to their relentless pursuit of success.
The Emirates has become a fortress for Arsenal this season. That Villa loss remains the only blot on their home record in 2024, highlighting their dominance on their own turf.
Arsenal boast a recent edge against Chelsea, having lost just one of their last eight Premier League games against the Blues (W5, D2).
Their current four-game unbeaten streak against the Blues represents their best run against them since a dominant 19-game winning streak stretching from 1995 to 2005.
The statistics further favour the Gunners. Their home form on Tuesdays is nearly impregnable, losing just one of 18 such fixtures (W11, D7), including a home win against Chelsea in 2022/23.
Pochettino returns to north London as a foe in pursuit of a much-needed win after wasting another opportunity to lift his first piece of silverware on English soil last weekend.
He’ll be looking to defy the odds and break his personal winless streak against Arsenal at the Emirates having failed to win any of his five visits to the Gunners (D4, L1).
However, Chelsea’s four losses in their last five Tuesday away games (D1) paint a worrying picture while a 3-1 defeat in this exact fixture last season adds an air of uncertainty for the Blues.
Despite the historical headwinds, there are reasons for Chelsea to be cautiously optimistic.
They are currently unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches (W4, D4), netting at least two goals in each of their last six games.
The Blues have also not lost consecutive games against Arsenal at the Emirates since a run of three between December 2001 and October 2003.
Team News & Potential Line-ups
Arsenal head into Tuesday’s showdown with Jurrien Timber the only confirmed absentee. The Dutchman is nearing a return but won’t feature in the derby.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has recovered from a knock while Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko could return to the starting XI.
Meanwhile, the headline update for Chelsea centres around Cole Palmer, who is expected to miss the game due to illness. Christopher Nkunku is close to a comeback, though this game may come too soon.
Robert Sanchez is also close to a return, along with Levi Colwill while Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell have joined Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia on the sidelines.
Arsenal possible starting line-up:
(4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli.
Chelsea possible starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Dorde Petrovic; Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke; Nicolas Jackson.
