Chelsea and Arsenal meet for the fourth time this season, with the Blues still looking for our first win over the Premier League leaders. In fact, we’re still looking for our first win against the Gunners in the last nearly five years: ten games in all competitions, seven defeats, zero wins since Romelu Lukaku (!) scored against them at the Bridge at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Ending that horrendous run now would be most amusingly timed. We may be well out of the title race, but we could certainly
still play a massive part in it. Not to mention, our own top-five finish is far from assured — or not assured at all, one might say, given the strength of our upcoming schedule and our inability to beat even relegation-threatened opposition recently.
That said, the pressure is on Arsenal to keep all three points at the Emirates and maintain their five-point lead (with an extra game played) at the top of the table.
Date / Time: Sunday, March 1, 2026, 16.30 GMT; 11:30am EDT; 9pm IST
Venue: Emirates Stadium, N7
Referee: Darren England (on pitch); John Brooks (VAR)
Forecast: Rainy, breezy
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); Telemundo (USA); none (India); SuperSport Premier League (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: Sky Go (UK); Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); JioHotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Arsenal team news: Arsenal are looking to win their first Premier League title since 2004, but they continue to play into the narrative that they’re their own worst enemies. They should be well out of sight by now, especially as it looks like 80 points might be enough to win it all, but City are back breathing down their necks and there are still ten games to go. They may have lost just one game since December, and just three games in all competitions all season, but recent draws against the likes of Wolves and Nottingham Forest have kept things interesting. Any points dropped against Chelsea would make things even more nervy. And potentially quite hilarious.
All that may be wishful thinking by Arsenal’s rivals. Their strength in depth is perhaps best in league and they built their campaign on the back of a strong defense rather than a more fickle reliance on attacking football. Mikel Arteta may have been Pep Guardiola’s assistant, but his football often has more in common with José Mourinho than the man who unleashed the scourge of tiki-taka on us. Then again, would rather have that sort of boredom back than this current reliance on crowding the goalkeeper, setting screens, and all the barely legal grappling in the penalty area that Arteta has championed, and is fast becoming the standard across the league. Football used to be the beautiful game; now it’s just a game of set pieces.
Add to all that, the Gunners are fairly fit and healthy, with only Mikel Merino confirmed out. Kai Havertz, our former frail favorite, is doubtful as usual, while Bukayo Saka is questionable after picking up a possible knock in last weekend’s North London Derby.
View from the enemy: The Short Fuse
Chelsea team news: It’s mostly good news for Chelsea as well regarding injuries — or at least not bad news — as both Cole Palmer and Reece James have been declared fit. Unfortunately, both Estêvão and Marc Cucurella remain out, and that’s not exactly ideal; neither is the suspension of Wesley Fofana after last weekend’s red card. Long-term absentees Levi Colwill, Jamie Gittens, Dário Essugo are out as well, though the latter is very close to returning now (like his fellow midfielder Roméo Lavia).
The Blues continue to delight and frustrate in equal measure, coming up new and innovative ways (or, rather, old and familiar ways) to drop points. We lead the league in xG but not goals, are among the worst teams in terms of discipline, as well as points dropped from winning positions. We’re close to being a very good team, yet also seem to be unable to get over that proverbial hump of consistency and execution in evolving from promise to reality.
Previously: Liam Rosenior annoyed a few by setting up Chelsea in a very defensive way when we went to the Emirates in the second leg of the League Cup semifinal, but that plan almost paid off, so I’d expect something similar (especially as we aren’t coming on with a one-goal deficit this time around).
