Arsenal host Chelsea in the first derby between the London rivals this season with a 100% winning record at stake
Martin Odegaard of Arsenal pushes teammate Viktor Gyokeres to celebrate after scoring his team's second goal during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 14, 2026 in London, England.
Arsenal take on Chelsea this Sunday(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
View 4 Images
It is a battle of the former midfield maestros at the Emirates Stadium this weekend as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal take on Xabi Alonso's Chelsea. The London derby has arrived and there is already more than pride at stake for both teams.
The Gunners have continued their streak of success by winning both their Premier League games this season, dismantling newly-promoted Coventry 3-0 and fighting out a 1-0 win away to Aston Villa. Chelsea have also started brightly under new boss Alonso, playing out two entertaining triumphs against Fulham and Brighton, beating them 3-2 and 4-3 respectively.
Gary Neville - Arsenal win
Gary Neville believes Chelsea will be more of a challenge to Arsenal but the Gunners will ultimately prevail. Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, the ex-Manchester United star said: "I think Arsenal will realise Chelsea have better attacking players than Aston Villa so they’ll have to be alert and alive.
"But I think Villa are the most organised team in the league except for Arsenal, I think they’re really well organised and so well drilled by Unai Emery. Chelsea aren’t as well organised as that and they aren’t as disciplined.
"They won’t defend in the same way as Villa so I think Arsenal may actually fancy their chances going forward more against Chelsea, but they’ll also have to be alert to the fact Chelsea have some fantastic attacking players.
Chelsea's English midfielder #20 Cole Palmer (2L) vies with Arsenal's English midfielder #41 Declan Rice (2R) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on November 10, 2024.
Neville believes Arsenal will be comfortable at home(Image: Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)
View 4 Images
"That’s what makes it really interesting. I think Arsenal will win the game but it’s a really good test for them and a really good moment to see Chelsea in the early days of Xabi Alonso.
"They’ve been so exciting in their first two games but this is the ultimate test for them against the champions who don’t make a lot of mistakes. I can’t wait for it, I think it will be a really good game. And I think Arsenal will be really looking forward to it. It will show us a lot of where Arsenal and Chelsea are because I’ve put them as first and second."
Discussing his score prediction on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville added: "We’ll go 2-0 to Arsenal. I think Arsenal are going to be so up for it and strong, they are going to be really aggressive."
Ian Wright - Arsenal win
Also speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the Arsenal icon was confident that his former team will do the job. He said: "I think we're winning. We're winning this. I think we'll win this game. 3-1 Arsenal."
Jamie Carragher - Arsenal win
The former Liverpool defender joined Neville in his prediction for the London derby as well as deciding on the same scoreline. Carragher explained: "I was thinking 2-0. Once they get two, they are happy with two and [will see out the game]."
Peter Crouch - Chelsea win
Pedro Neto of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammates during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 10, 2024 in London, England.
Crouchy is backing the Blues(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
View 4 Images
Peter Crouch claimed he would be putting a "cat amongst the pigeons" with his choice of winner for the derby. Previewing the game on his That Peter Crouch Podcast, the former Tottenham striker said: "Great game! Two teams looking good as well.
"Joao Pedro, for me, I love watching him play football. He’s a player that enjoys his football and he just looks like he enjoys his football. I’ve been thinking this since the first game against Fulham, I think he’ll get goals this season. I just think he’ll score goals.
"Pedro Neto looks sharp, creative. They’ve got some creative players in that team. The only problem here [for Chelsea] is defensively, I think Chelsea will concede.
"I love the Emiliano Martinez signing, I think it’s a brilliant signing. How you get a World Cup-winning, dominant leader for £7million in this climate… I think that’s unreal, that’s a great signing. I think Chelsea will concede goals, Brighton scored three against them. I think they’ll concede goals but I think there will be goals, it will be interesting to see."
Giving his prediction, Crouch added: "I’m going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and I’m going to go for a 3-2 Chelsea win. I think they’ve announced themselves as title contenders."
Jill Scott - Arsenal win
The former Lioness has belief that Chelsea will find the net but agreed with Wright in that the Gunners will overpower the Blues. She added: "I think there could be a lot of goals in this. I think Chelsea will score though."
Roy Keane - Arsenal win
The United icon criticised Chelsea's signing of Emiliano Martinez, claiming that the goalkeeper has been brought in a year too late to impact the squad. Discussing the Argentine while predicting an Arsenal win, Keane explained: "No, I don't know if that's a great signing for Chelsea. I know they needed it last year. I think I know he's a character and a personality. I give it to him."
Chris Sutton - Arsenal win
Mikel Merino of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on November 30, 2025 in London, England.
Sutton has faith in the Gunners(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
View 4 Images
Finally, Chris Sutton has had his say on the derby clash and is confident that Arsenal's organisation will get them the win. Discussing the fixture in his BBC Sport column, the ex-Celtic striker said: "I suspect Chelsea will give Arsenal lots of the ball and try to counter-attack quickly. The Blues have got some brilliant creativity in Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro, but the fact they are vulnerable at the back could undermine them.
"Arsenal were a bit clunky last time out against Aston Villa, while I love what Xabi Alonso is doing at Chelsea. He doesn't care about possession, and that's not how Chelsea try to get results. It's strange because I had a look at how his Bayer Leverkusen side lined up when they won the Bundesliga, and they were pretty dominant possession-wise.
"So, it is quite alarming when you look at the two league games Chelsea have played and see how much of the ball they haven't had. Against Fulham they only had 38% possession and then against Brighton it was down to 25%. I don't know whether that is by design or by just not having the players to dominate. They are still free-scoring, but they are conceding loads of goals too.
"Whatever the reason, I don't see it changing here. Arsenal are so powerful and the only question mark around them is if they are a forward or two short. Even so, you would not exactly say they have a real weakness anywhere. The beauty of Mikel Arteta's side is they can play in different ways.
"They demolished Manchester City in the Community Shield with some pure football, and played some nice stuff against Coventry too, but then they were able to grind out a win at Aston Villa as well. Ultimately, whether they are free-flowing or not, their organisation should see them through this game too."
When asked for a scoreline, Sutton said: "3-1."