Arsenal is gearing up to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Sunday in a blockbuster Premier League match, with the league leaders Gunners looking to extend their lead to nine points over their London rivals.
After a thrilling 3-0 beating they handed to Barcelona in the UCL, the Blues went up to fifth gear in this season’s campaign with five wins and one draw in their six most recent matches.
Good defensive work has been the basis of the team’s revival, as seen from their three consecutive clean sheets. However, the Chelsea side that is so formidable at home in Europe has not always been able to turn the Blues into their fortress—only 10 of Chelsea’s 23 Premier League points have been won at Stamford Bridge, which ranks them second from the bottom amongst the home teams in the division.
On the other hand, Arsenal cannot be stopped. The Spurs’ 4-1 North London Derby rout was quickly followed by a tough but deserved midweek triumph over FC Bayern Munich, reasserting their position as the Premier League’s hottest team. Mikel Arteta’s side have only been defeated thrice in their last 40 London derbies (W28, D9) and have netted 2+ goals in their last six competitive matches. Moreover, their excellent away form—victories in six of their last seven away matches (D1)—makes them very hard to beat on the road.
Only one out of the last 11 league encounters of Chelsea and Arsenal has ended with a Chelsea defeat, and this is a pattern that has largely been repeated over time.
Keep an eye on the Chelsea forward Pedro Neto, who has been directly involved in five goals in his last five league matches, while the Gunners’ captain Martin Ødegaard has seven direct goal contributions versus the Blues—more than with any other team.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is in contention to play, whereas Viktor Gyökeres might be back in training for Arsenal. However, Gabriel is definitely not available.
As both teams have achieved positive results in Europe, a tightly fought draw would be a good betting option.
