Arsenal can move a provisional four points clear at the top of the Premier League table when Chelsea visit on Tuesday. The Gunners are one point ahead of Manchester City, who beat the Blues in the FA Cup semifinals over the weekend, although Pep Guardiola’s men have a game in hand. Mikel Arteta’s side will want to put a maximum amount of pressure on City ahead of Thursday’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Mauricio Pochettino will want his players to bounce back from their FA Cup disappointment and focus on closing ground on the European places with a game in hand on Newcastle United and Manchester United. Arsenal have won 12 of their 16 EPL home games so far this season, but lost last time out against resurgent Aston Villa and a Chelsea win here would be consecutive home losses for the Gunners for the first time in two years. Arteta has seen his side win 11 of their 13 Premier League games so far in 2024 while they have also kept 15 clean sheets in the league.
Chelsea won 2-0 at Emirates Stadium back in 2021, but that was their only win in nine encounters and the Blues could lose consecutive away games to Arsenal for the first time since the early 2000s at Highbury. Pochettino’s men are unbeaten in eight EPL games and have scored at least two goals in their last six outings, although clean sheets on the road are hard to come by and Pochettino has never led a team of his to victory away at Arsenal.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
Arsenal: Takehiro Tomiyasu missed the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers but could be back for this one while Jurrien Timber is the only expected absentee as he steps up his recovery. Leandro Trossard should keep his starting role while Jorginho and Kai Havertz could both feature against their former club.
Potential Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Odegaard, Trossard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Chelsea: Cole Palmer could miss out through illness picked up since the City loss while Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell will also miss out. Christopher Nkunku, Robert Sanchez and Lesley Ugochukwu are all back in light training but unlikely to feature here. Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are longer term absentees.
Potential Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Disasi, Thiago Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Gallagher, Sterling, Madueke; Jackson.
Chelsea will give it a go and try to make life tough for Arsenal but the hosts should get the points and keep the pressure on City at the summit. Pick: Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1.
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