English Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Chelsea are set to battle it out in a crunch London derby on Tuesday night
The Gunners head into the eagerly anticipated clash with confidence, having hammered a stubborn Wolverhampton Wanderers side 2-0 on Saturday.
Leandro Trossard and the ever-dependable captain Martin Odegaard were on the score sheet for the Gunners, in the game which was staged at the scary Molineux Stadium.
The crucial win which came on the back of two defeats against Aston Villa and multiple Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, restored Arsenal’s hope of winning the elusive Premier League title this season.
The Mikel Arteta charges currently occupy the top spot in the Premier League standings with 74 points, one more than the defending champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
A win for the Gunners will increase their tally to 77 points and bring them a step closer to lifting the coveted laurel for the first time in two decades.
However, Arteta knows that although Chelsea have struggled this season, they still have the firepower to overcome his side and ruin their season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, who are coached by the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino, made the short trip to the Emirates Stadium on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal.
Although Chelsea do not have dreams of winning the league, they will feel happy if they play a role in preventing their North London rivals from triumphing at the end of the season.
Here are the key details you need to understand ahead of the mouth-watering fixture.
What time does Arsenal vs Chelsea start?
The match is scheduled to start at 10 PM Tanzanian time on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium.
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Arsenal vs Chelsea Team News
Arsenal will miss the services of Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, who is on the verge of recovering from an ACL injury which he picked at the start of the season.
Arteta has confirmed that the versatile defender will play a match for the U21s later this week as he continues with his recovery.
William Saliba, Benjamin White and Gabriel Maghales are expected to start the match while Japanese rock Takehiro Tomiyasu is likely to return to the first eleven at the expense of Jakob Kiwior.
Arteta may also make some changes to his razor-sharp attack with Gabriel Martinelli displacing Leandro Trossard from the team who starting lineup.
On the other hand, unlike the hosts, Chelsea has a lot of injury concerns. Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Reece James are all currently nursing injuries.
In addition, Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez are also likely to miss Tuesday’s clash as they continue with their recoveries.
Finally, Pochettino has confirmed that his top scorer Cole Palmer is a doubt for the game due to illness.
Possible Starting Lineups
Arsenal: Raya, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, White, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz.
Chelsea: Petrovic, Chalobah, Silva, Disasi, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher, Madueke, Sterling, Jackson.
Arsenal vs Chelsea Head-to-head
Arsenal and Chelsea have played against each other 17 times in all competitions since 2018 with the Gunners picking up nine victories in the process. Three of those matches ended in a draw.
Moreover, in the last five encounters between the two sides, Arsenal have won four won four of them, with the most recent clash which was played at Stamford Bridge ending in a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal: 9
Draws: 3
Chelsea: 5
Arsenal vs Chelsea Current Form
Arsenal: WDLLW
Chelsea: DWDWL
Arsenal vs Chelsea Prediction
Arsenal are the favorites to win this match because of the home advantage and the good form that they have enjoyed this season.
However, Chelsea usually gives their best when playing against big teams as witnessed in last Saturday’s FA Cup game against Manchester City. Therefore, they should not be ruled out from returning to West London with something.
Football fans should get ready for a thrilling match which may end up with both clubs failing to keep a clean sheet.