Another London derby on the horizon as Arsenal host Chelsea

Leaving aside Arsenal's clash with Manchester City, which is scheduled for mid-April in the Premier League, the Chelsea game is the one that represents the Mikel Arteta's probably the biggest challenge of all the remaining league games. On paper, at least. The derby, which is always a heated and emotional game in itself, will have a bit more intensity this time around. Arsenal not only need to confirm their North London derby win, but they also need to show the whole footballing world that they are serious about their league title ambitions. Moreover, Chelsea, who definitely have something to give back to Arsenal after their elimination from the EFL Cup, are fighting for a place in next year's Champions League. I think there will be no shortage of entertainment in north London on Sunday night.

Form

As far as the current form of both teams is concerned, you can find everything essential in the tables below. Slightly more interesting and, from my point of view, more indicative of how Sunday's game between Arsenal and Chelsea might look like are two recent encounters. Arsenal met Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final double-header at the end of January and the beginning of February. The Gunners were more successful in both matches. Mikel Arteta's charges first won 3-2 at Stamford Bridge and then 1-0 at home at the Emirates Stadium. Will Arsenal be able to challenge Chelsea for the third time this calendar year?

Arsenal

📈 Current form: 🟢 🟡 🟢 🟡 🟢

⚽️ ResultsTottenham 1:4 Arsenal (PL), Wolverhampton 2:2 Arsenal (PL), Arsenal 4:0 Wigan (FA Cup), Brentford 1:1 Arsenal (PL), Arsenal 3:0 Sunderland (PL)

🏆 Premier League position: 1. (61 points)

Chelsea

📈 Current form: 🟡 🟢 🟡 🟢 🔴

⚽️ Results: Chelsea 1-1 Burnley (PL), Hull 0-4 Chelsea (FA Cup), Chelsea 2-2 Leeds (PL), Wolverhampton 1-3 Chelsea (PL), Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (EFL Cup)

🏆 Premier League position: 5. (45 points)

Team and expected line-up

Although in football there is often an unwritten rule, that the winning lineup is unchanged, so I think we'll see at least one change in Mikel Arteta. Maybe I'm wrong and the starting eleven against Chelsea will be exactly the same as against Tottenham, but I honestly don't believe that. Let's look at everything together in more detail.

Expected line-up

Because the pre-match press conference is scheduled for tomorrow, so this time I will have to base the lineup on available information from various sources and not directly from Mikel Arteta. Not that the Spanish manager regularly reveals detailed information about his squad before games, but from time to time he will comment on injured players with regard to their availability.

I'll start with the traditional with the defensive part of the lineup, where I think there will be no change since the Tottenham game. The only position in the defence where it is not clear who is the number one is the left wing-back. A week ago, I wrote that I see the situation that the strongest role is that of the left fullbacks Riccardo Calafiori. Now I'm beginning to think he's been passed over in the hierarchy Piero Hincapié, who, in the absence of the Italian footballer, has settled into the defensive four. There's not much to fault his performance, so Mikel Arteta has little reason to interfere with the defensive lineup.

I expect an announced change in the middle of the field. Although it may sound illogical to most of you, I think one of the heroes of the North London derby, Eberechi Eze, replacing the game creator fully recovered team captain Martin Ødegaard. On the other hand, the remaining two midfield positions will remain unchanged, the pace of the game will be controlled by Martín Zubimendi and Declan Rice.

All indications are that Mikel Arteta will have a lot to choose from on offense. He should be back from the sideline after a short absence due to a muscle injury. Kai Havertz, so no one should really be missing from the offensive players. In case anyone wants to correct me, because the injured list Mikel Merino, so I still rank him among the midfielders despite the fact that we have seen him several times this season at the top of the attack. Back to the expected composition of the most offensive-minded part of the lineup, which in my opinion will not change. It is highly likely that we will see changes on the wings and in the attack during the game, but from the first minute the trio will start again Saka, Trossard and Gyökeres.

Absences

Absent Mikel Merino I mention in every blog post and this time will be no different. The Spanish international will miss his team for a relatively long time. No more serious injuries on the Arsenal side, hopefully. Kai Havertz is already training with the team, so the only player, except for the aforementioned Merino, who is dealing with health issues, is Ben White. According to Arteta himself, it was only a minor problem before the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so I would guess that White will be part of the nomination on Sunday. If not, one of the following players will take his place on the bench Christian Nørgaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman. Otherwise, none of them will fit into the nomination.

Opponent

🏟️ Stadium: Stamford Bridge, London (capacity 40 341)

👔 ManagerLiam Rosenior

🧤GoalkeepersFilip Jörgensen, Robert Sánchez

🛡️ DefendersJosh Achempong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashille, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, Jorrel Hato, Reece James

🎯 Midfielders: Andrey Santos, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Estêvão, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens

⚽️ ForwardsLiam Delap, Marc Guiu, João Pedro

Match

Passion, commitment, cohesion, concentration, discipline and last but not least quality. That's exactly what I expect from Arsenal players in the home derby against Chelsea. Simply put, Arsenal could in a way repeat last week's performance against Tottenham. If the Gunners come at Chelsea in a similar vein, I have not the slightest doubt that they will see the duel against Chelsea through to a victorious end in front of their home fans.

The match should definitely not lack momentum. As I wrote in the very beginning, both teams are playing for a lot. Of course, the quality should not be lacking either, both Mikel Arteta and Liam Rosenior have a number of top level players in their squads. In terms of the big picture, Arsenal at home should be slightly more dominant. I expect a higher territorial superiority, percentage of ball possession and a higher number of finishes (ideally successful) on the side of the footballers from the northern part of the capital. On the other hand, I don't think it will be a one-sided affair. Chelsea will also want to attack, which should lead to a spectacular match. I believe that the Gunners will manage the derby with the Blues and get another important three points in the table. This time it could finally come with a clean sheet defensively. I predict Arsenal to win 2:0.

Next match

The next match awaits Arsenal players in a week, specifically on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. in the domestic league competition at Amex Stadium, where they will challenge the home team Brighton. Kickoff is scheduled for at 20:30 (CET).

See you next time, I'll look forward to it!

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