A colossal London derby brings the curtain down on Premier League gameweek 13, as high-flying Chelsea host title favourites Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a mouthwatering 4.30pm kickoff.
To add another layer of intrigue, both capital clubs enter the weekend on the back of momentous Champions League wins,the Blues decimating Barcelona 3-0and the Gunners deservedly defeating Bayern Munich 3-1.
Match preview
While Sunday's headline act is a top-of-the-tableshowdown at the time of writing, Chelsea will more than likely be knocked off their second-placed perch before kickoff, as Manchester City - who trail the Blues by just a single point - host newly-promoted Leeds United on Saturday.
However, all but one team have performed worse than Enzo Maresca's Club World Cup champions after 12 gameweeks, making brief talk of a managerial change just a couple of months ago scarcely believable.
The Italian's future came into some question after a run of just four wins from eight at the start of the season, but Maresca has now masterminded nine victories from the hosts' last 11 matches across all competitions, including each of their last three in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all been slain by the Blues without scoring, and 10-man Barcelona suffered that exact same fate on Tuesday night, when Hansi Flick's hopeless high line was brutally exposed by the West London giants.
Home has not always been where the heart is for Chelsea this season, though, as they have collected just under 44% of their Premier League points at Stamford Bridge this season - only Tottenham (28%) have taken a lower share on their own turf.
Maresca's men are also yet to win back-to-back Premier League home matches in the current term - failing to take maximums against Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and most recently Sunderland - so their 3-0 success over Wolves on November 8 may not be the best omen.
© Imago / Sportimage
Responding to Chelsea's brilliant beating of Barcelona with their own extraordinary European victory, Arsenal exacted a small measure of revenge on perpetual nemeses Bayern Munich and are now the only team in the Champions League with a 100% record after five matchdays.
Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli put the Bundesliga champions to the sword in North London, where victory has all but punched the Gunners' ticket to the last 16 of the UCL, without the need for a dreaded two-legged playoff.
Much was made of Arsenal's fear-inducing run after the international period, but the Premier League leaders have passed both tests with flying colours so far, also slaughtering a sorry Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in last weekend's North London derby mismatch.
Should the visitors prevail and other results go their way, their lead at the top of the table could be nine points with a third of the Premier League season gone, although talk of the title being theirs to lose remains premature while December has not even hit.
Stamford Bridge was formerly an unhappy haunt for the men in red and white, but it has now been over seven years since they lost a Premier League match on Chelsea's ground, and they are unbeaten against the Blues in seven overall since a 2-0 home loss in August 2021.
Furthermore, the Gunners have faced Chelsea while top of the Premier League only four times before, and they emerged victorious on all four occasions, although history and head-to-heads often count for little in such titanic tussles.
Chelsea Premier League form:
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Chelsea form (all competitions):
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Arsenal Premier League form:
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Arsenal form (all competitions):
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Team News
Arguably the biggest piece of injury news to come out of any of this week's press conferences, Chelsea boss Maresca confirmed that star man Cole Palmer - who has not played since September 20 - is good to go after a combination of groin and toe injuries.
Maresca even affirmed that the playmaker was ready to start, but a spot on the bench is more likely for a man who has not featured in over two months - the same goes for Dario Essugo following his recovery from a thigh operation.
Palmer and Essugo's returns leave Levi Colwill (ACL) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) as the hosts' only two injury victims for the derby, but former Gunners target Mykhaylo Mudryk is still unavailable on account of his provisional doping suspension.
The man who Arsenal turned to after being snubbed by Mudryk - Leandro Trossard - is a fresh concern for this fixture after coming off with a muscular problem against Bayern, although Mikel Arteta is confident that the Belgian has only sustained a minor injury.
However, both Martinelli and Madueke - desperate to prove a point at his old home - are competent alternatives to Trossard after recovering from their own issues, and the former has our vote to get the nod on the left flank.
Asked about Viktor Gyokeres (hamstring) and Kai Havertz (knee) pre-game, Arteta was unhelpful as ever, simply stating that both attackers would be assessed tomorrow to see whether they are ready to return.
The visitors are definitely missing Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (fitness) this weekend, but the latter recently came through a behind-closed-doors friendly unscathed.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Pedro, Neto; Delap
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
We say: Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal
From going 812 minutes without conceding a goal to shipping at least one in each of their last three games, Arsenal's defence no longer has an invulnerable feel to it, thanks in no small part to the absence of the fundamental Gabriel.
An Estevao-inspired Chelsea side should therefore break through, but Arteta's men are carving through defences at will - both from set-pieces and open play - and the Gunners should outgun their hosts on the attacking front to send out another significant title statement.
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