ARSENAL host Chelsea on Tuesday night looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
With Manchester City not in Prem action over the weekend due to FA Cup commitments, the Gunners were able to clamber back into top spot by beating Wolves 2-0.
Having now entered the run-in, boss Mikel Arteta knows that every point will be crucial between now and the end of the campaign on May 19.
Standing in Arsenal’s way on Tuesday night will be Chelsea, once a formidable London rival, now a club in flux trying to find its identity.
The Blues will still feel they should have won the previous meeting between these two, when they squandered a 2-0 lead late on at Stamford Bridge to draw 2-2.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side once again failed to capitalise on a flurry of chances as they crashed out of the FA Cup 1-0 to Manchester City on Saturday.
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While it would be easy to go through the motions at this stage, their season is not over – with European qualification still achievable.
The Blues are ninth in the Premier League table but trail seventh-placed Manchester United and sixth-placed Newcastle by just three points with a game in hand on both.
If Chelsea are to salvage a European position, and perhaps Pochettino’s job in the process, they are going to have to find something in the final weeks of the season that they have lacked all year – consistency.
No time would be like the present for the Blues to put a run of good performances together – but Arsenal will provide a stern test at the Emirates.
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What is their form like?
Arsenal recovered from a recent wobble by winning 2-0 at Wolves on Saturday.
A disastrous week prior had seen them lose top spot by losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa before crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Goals by Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard on Saturday night may have allayed any fears among Gooners that their season was about to disintegrate completely, as it did in April last year.
As for Chelsea, Saturday’s FA Cup loss to Man City actually ended a quiet run of eight games without defeat.
The sequence included huge home wins over Man Utd and Everton, but perhaps failed to build momentum due to underwhelming 2-2 draws with strugglers Sheffield United and Burnley.
What is the team news?
Arsenal go into Tuesday’s match with only long-term absentee Jurrien Timber missing.
The Dutchman, 22, has been out since suffering a knee injury on the opening day.
Mikel Arteta believes that the defender could return before the end of the season, but this clash with Chelsea will come too soon.
The Blues, meanwhile, have plenty of injuries to worry about.
Defenders Wesley Fofana (knee), Levi Colwill (foot) and Reece James (thigh) are all set to miss out – while midfielders Lesley Ugochuwku (thigh) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) also remaining missing.
Mauricio Pochettino will also be without the firepower of Christopher Nkunku once again, with the Frenchman still recovering from a thigh issue.
Who will be the star men?
For Arsenal, it is usually Bukayo Saka that holds the key to success.
The England star, however, has just one goal and no assists in his last five Premier League appearances – not living up to his usual high standards.
If Arsenal are to beat Chelsea on Tuesday night, they will likely need a big performance from their No7.
As for Chelsea, you cannot look any further than Cole Palmer.
While most of his team-mates have floundered for much of this season, the former Manchester City star has done all he can to drag the Blues forward.
Palmer, 21, will hope to inspire his team to victory at the Emirates… and to outshine Saka with England boss Gareth Southgate likely watching on.
What have the managers said?
Mikel Arteta was delighted with his side’s defensive resilience after their win over Wolves on Saturday.
After the game, he said: “Big credit to the boys because that gives us a huge platform to win football matches.
“Now we have another big one, a big London derby against a great team that are in good form, in front of our people. Let’s do it.”
After his side’s defeat to Man City, Mauricio Pochettino said: “Tactically it’s not a problem. You cannot be today good if in the last eight months you didn’t know how to manage all the types of situations. It’s about the whole thing.
“We need time to improve like a team and of course we need to assess. The most important thing now, after nearly 10 months, is how we assess the group and the squad.
“Then it is to take a decision on the way that we can improve in all of the different areas to be strong and of course to compete better and better and try to reduce the gap to teams like Manchester City, who it is clear are one of the best teams in the world.”
SunSport prediction
This won’t be an easy game for the Gunners, and with Cole Palmer bang in form the Blues could grab a point at the Emirates.
SunSport predicts: Arsenal 2 Chelsea 2
When is Arsenal vs Chelsea?
- Arsenal vs Chelsea will take place on Tuesday, April 23.
- Kick off will be at 8pm.
- The Emirates will host.
What TV channel is Arsenal vs Chelsea on and can it be live streamed?
- Arsenal vs Chelsea will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1.
- TNT Sports customers can live stream the match on the discovery+ app/website.
- Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.
What are the odds?
Match result
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- Arsenal – 1/2
- Draw – 17/5
- Chelsea – 24/5
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
