Chelsea vs Arsenal

Stamford Bridge hosts a heavyweight all-London showdown between bitter Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.

October’s international break curtailed Chelsea’s form resurgence under new boss Mauricio Pochettino as they pieced together three straight wins in all competitions before the pause. After only winning once in their first six Premier League outings under the Argentine manager (D2, L3), the ‘Blues’ have won their last two by multi-goal margins, including a come-from-behind 4-1 win at Burnley on the stroke of the international break. That victory saw Chelsea score 4+ goals in a single game for the first time in 71 fixtures across all competitions and marked their first comeback on the hostile turf in the Premier League since October 2022. Those are all positive signs as they aim to end a three-match losing H2H league run at the Bridge and potentially regain a foothold in the European race.

While their hosts remain stranded in mid-table lethargy, visiting Arsenal confirmed their title credentials with a late 1-0 home win over reigning holders Manchester City last time out. After registering his first top-flight victory over his mentor, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta will be out to make more history this weekend. His men have won all three away league matches this season by a combined score of 6-0, last keeping a clean sheet on their first three Premier League travels in 1995/96. Ominously for Arsenal, the fourth game that season saw them lose 1-0 to none other than Chelsea. But as one of only two unbeaten sides in the Premier League this term (W5, D2), the ‘Gunners’ headed into the international break as the joint-leaders alongside Tottenham. Moreover, they’ve not lost any of their last 15 Premier League London derbies (W11, D4).