Arsenal currently lead the Premier League by six points, with Chelsea emerging as their closest competitors. Chelsea's recent victory over Burnley, coupled with Manchester City's loss to Newcastle United,
has positioned Enzo Maresca's team in second place. Both teams enter their upcoming clash at Stamford Bridge on a high note after securing wins against top European clubs in the Champions League.
Chelsea's confidence soared following a 3-0 triumph over Barcelona, marking their largest victory margin against the Spanish giants in the competition. This win also made Chelsea one of only three teams to defeat Barcelona at least five times in this tournament, joining Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Arsenal defeated Bayern Munich 3-1 after a commanding 4-1 win over Tottenham.
Despite Chelsea's recent success, Arsenal remains the dominant force in London. Since the 2022-23 season began, Arsenal has lost only three out of 40 London derby matches in the Premier League. They have already secured victories against West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham this season. Their next challenge is Brentford after facing Chelsea.
Chelsea aims to prove themselves as title contenders by closing the gap with Arsenal. However, history favours Arsenal; they have won all four previous encounters against Chelsea while leading the league table. The Opta supercomputer predicts a 41.9% chance of an Arsenal win and a 32.6% probability for Chelsea to narrow the gap.
Chelsea's home form this season has been inconsistent, with only 43.5% of their Premier League points earned at Stamford Bridge. Despite this, they have shown improvement recently by scoring six unanswered goals in their last two home games against Barcelona and Wolves.
Chelsea has won five out of their last six league matches and achieved three consecutive clean sheets for the first time since March 2022 after defeating Burnley 2-0. A victory on Sunday would bring them within three points of Arsenal and strengthen their title aspirations.
Key Players to Watch
Pedro Neto is a standout player for Chelsea, contributing five goals in his last five Premier League appearances. He aims to score in three consecutive matches for the first time and has been involved in three goals against Arsenal in his last four starts.
For Arsenal, Eberechi Eze has been instrumental with four goal involvements in his last two games. He scored a hat-trick against Tottenham and assisted Gabriel Martinelli against Bayern Munich. Eze also registered a goal and an assist against Chelsea last season.
Arteta's Record Against Chelsea
Mikel Arteta boasts an impressive record against Chelsea with a win rate of 58.3%, ranking third among managers who have faced them ten or more times. Under Arteta's leadership, Arsenal has scored 24 goals while conceding 13 in 12 encounters with Chelsea.
Martin Odegaard returned from injury to help Arsenal secure their first win over Bayern since 2015. The Norwegian captain remains unbeaten against Chelsea with six wins and two draws, contributing directly to seven goals during these encounters.
As both teams prepare for this crucial match, neither side will be content with just one point given their recent successes over European heavyweights like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
