On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea will face off against a rival in the Premier League’s top four during a crucial London derby. The Blues aim to bridge a six-point gap in the standings but must overcome a six-game drought for an away league win. Chelsea’s recent performances have been inconsistent after a strong start, and they’ve struggled away, losing their last three matches. Both teams have expressed ambitions to dominate play, with Mikel Arteta emphasizing aggression and tactical execution. Key injuries plague Chelsea, while Arsenal looks to extend their unbeaten run against them to seven games.
On Sunday afternoon (1:30 pm UK), two of the Premier League’s top four will clash in a London derby as Chelsea travels across the capital for an important match in the hunt for European qualification.
The Blues are eager to reduce the current six-point gap between the sides, but to achieve this, they must snap a six-match streak without a league win away from home, which matches the length of time they’ve sought a victory against us.
Having lost just once in our last ten encounters with Chelsea— that lone defeat occurring back in 2021— we are determined to return to winning form ahead of the upcoming international break, and Mikel Arteta will be eager to maintain this momentum.
Winter challenges for Chelsea
The Blues entered the festive season being touted as possible title contenders, sitting second in the standings and just two points behind Liverpool. However, a dismal run of one win in six matches saw them drop out of the Champions League places they covet.
A 2-1 victory over West Ham in early February provided a brief spark, followed by setbacks against Brighton and Aston Villa. However, the Blues rebounded with a 4-0 victory over Southampton and a narrow win against Leicester, equalizing the number of league wins in their previous ten matches. Both victories came at Stamford Bridge, and they now find themselves on a six-match quest for an away league win, having lost their last three.
Following their FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton, Chelsea’s aspirations for silverware hinge on their performance in the Conference League, where they excelled during the group stage, netting 26 goals across six matches. They advanced past Copenhagen with a 3-1 aggregate victory, capped by a 1-0 win in the second leg.
Statements from the managers
Arteta: “Their development as a team is impressive, with the coaching staff and the depth of talent in their squad. It’s going to be a tough match, but it’s a big opportunity for us to secure a win.
“Both teams aim to be dominant in their play, employing a strong pressing game and controlling possession. There’s significant individual talent on the pitch, so it’s essential to impose our style and keep them away from their strengths. That will be a crucial factor.”
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Every word of Mikel’s pre-Chelsea press conference
Maresca: “The current gap is significant, primarily because they’ve had the same manager for five years, highlighting the disparity.
“The players have experienced high-pressure matches together, but it’s our aim to narrow that gap between us. Right now, it’s six points, and we have ten games remaining. We’re focused on our performance, not whether they’ll be three, six, or nine points ahead. Our priority is to beat them and draw closer.”
Team updates
Bukayo Saka is progressing but isn’t quite ready to return from his hamstring injury. Meanwhile, former Chelsea player Kai Havertz joins Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
Malo Gusto missed recent fixtures against Leicester and Copenhagen, while Reece James made his return from injury as a substitute in the latter match.
Forwards Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, and Marc Guiu have all been sidelined since early February with hamstring injuries, and Mykhaylo Mudryk is currently serving a provisional doping ban after testing positive for meldonium in December.
Strategic outlook
Adrian Clarke, in the official matchday programme: Maresca typically employs a 4-2-3-1 formation, shifting to what resembles a 3-2-5 in possession. He prefers having one full-back venture into more advanced roles while the other tucks in to form a back three during buildup. Marc Cucurella often assumes these attacking responsibilities and frequently appears as an unconventional inside forward.
Chelsea leads the league with the second-highest average ball possession at 58%. Their ability to pin back opposing teams has resulted in them taking the third-highest number of shots so far in the 2024/25 season. In terms of expected goals, they rank second in the league. They are particularly lethal on the counter, with only Liverpool recording more shots from fast breaks than Chelsea, who have scored seven times on the counter-attack.
The midfield trio of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Cole Palmer as the No. 10 forms the team’s core, thriving in creating opportunities when space arises. They are tied with Aston Villa as the most productive team for through balls in the division. However, the absence of injured striker Nicolas Jackson has hindered this attacking strength, complicating their ability to penetrate opposing defenses.
Throughout the season, individual errors have cost them dearly. Remarkably, only Southampton has incurred more errors that resulted in shots against them, with Chelsea conceding 12 goals from individual mistakes.
Interesting facts
We remain unbeaten in our last six Premier League fixtures against Chelsea, marking our longest undefeated streak against them since a run of 19 from 1995 to 2005.
Out of our last nine league matches against the Blues, we’ve achieved six wins— a significant improvement compared to the previous six victories that took 32 matches from 2004 to 2020.
Since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, Chelsea has managed just three wins in 19 away Premier League matches against teams ranked higher than them on match day.
Although the Blues have suffered only one defeat in their last eight away London derbies in the Premier League, that loss was a hefty 5-0 in this very match last season.
We lost our most recent home league match 1-0 to West Ham; notably, we have never experienced back-to-back losses in London derbies at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League since the 2005/06 season (against Chelsea and West Ham at Highbury).
Martin Odegaard has contributed to six Premier League goals against Chelsea (two goals and four assists); no other team has seen him involved in more goals.
If he plays, Ethan Nwaneri will make his last appearance before turning 18. Notably, no player under 18 has ever scored in a London derby in the Premier League.
Each of Chelsea’s last nine Premier League goals scored against us has come from different players.
Marc Cucurella has scored in his last two Premier League appearances, equalizing his total for his first 69 matches with Chelsea. Only Josko Gvardiol from Manchester City (five) has netted more goals as a defender in the Premier League than Cucurella.
Officiating details
Chris Kavanagh will officiate this match; notably, the previous three games involving the Gunners this season, which he has overseen, have all concluded in draws— the home match against Brighton that resulted in Declan Rice’s red card, the away match at Fulham, and the visit from Aston Villa in January.
The last time Chelsea emerged victorious under his supervision was back in November 2022, totaling seven matches without a win, including last season’s League Cup final defeat to Liverpool. He averages 5.1 yellow cards per match this season, the highest among referees in the top flight, and has dismissed four players in the Premier League.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Lee Betts, James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Sam Barrott
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
Historical matches against Chelsea
The Blues have faced defeat in their last two away encounters with us, and we aim to extend that streak to three for the first time since 2001 to 2003. Last season saw us decisively defeat Frank Lampard’s side, with Kai Havertz and Ben White scoring two goals each, complemented by a goal from Leandro Trossard.
The previous season featured Martin Odegaard scoring twice with Gabriel Jesus also finding the net in May 2023. Chelsea’s last victory on our ground was back in August 2021, when Romelu Lukaku and Reece James successfully scored.
Live broadcast
Join us for our live preview show from N5, featuring Nicole Holliday and Jeremie Aliadiere in the studio.
Perry Groves will join the discussion as we gear up for our Champions League match against Real Madrid, alongside a recap of Arsenal’s social media highlights from the previous week.
Kieran Tierney and Neto will participate in our headphone challenge before we speak with Capital Xtra’s Omah Howard.
UFC fighter Lone’er Kavanagh will also be present before his fight at the O2 Arena, and there will be a round of The Celebration Game.
Join Adrian Clarke as he provides necessary insights about Chelsea before live commentary from Dan Roebuck.
You can also discover which broadcasters are streaming the match live in your region.
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How to watch Arsenal v Chelsea live on TV
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