Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has conceded that Arsenal's defensive attributes are the current difference maker in the Premier League title race.
The top two in the standings go head to head at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the Blues trailing the Gunners by six points.
With Chelsea dominating Barcelona and Arsenal overcoming Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek, the appetite of supporters has only been whetted ahead of the all-London showdown.
However, Arsenal are undoubtedly the pick of the top-flight teams in England this season, Mikel Arteta's side currently on a 16-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Maresca admitted that he had been left impressed with the foundations that have been laid by Arteta.
© Imago / Sportimage
Maresca praises Arsenal's defensive work
The Italian said: "For sure they defend fantastically. Any teams against them, they struggle to score goals, not only to score goals, but even to create chances.
"So it's a team that they defend very well. Then they have weapons when they attack. So I think it's, as you said, in this moment they are top in the Champions League, they are top in the Premier League. And we're going to try our best to win the game."
Maresca was later quizzed on whether the Arsenal game was more important than the magnitude of beating Barcelona, but he was wary of making such a comparison.
He added: "I said after the game, it's another big game. We finished one against Barcelona. As you said, we won, it was a good feeling. And now we have another one.
"Now if it's bigger than the last one, I don't know. For me, they are all important games for sure. Beating Barcelona, or in case we are able to beat Arsenal, it's a nice feeling. But at the end, it's three points."
© Imago / Sportsphoto
How does Chelsea's defensive record compare to Arsenal's?
There have been times this season when Chelsea's backline has looked vulnerable, most notably in home fixtures when losing to the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland.
That said, Chelsea have kept clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and Barcelona in their last five games, only conceding against Qarabag FK.
Chelsea have conceded 11 times in 12 Premier League fixtures at the same time that Arsenal have shipped just six strikes.
Between October 1 and November 4, Arsenal incredibly kept eight clean sheets, but they have since conceded four times across matches with Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.