Chelsea are currently preparing for a crunch fixture against Arsenal this weekend in the Premier League.
The Blues play away at close rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, which is a fascinating game in the race for Champions League qualification.
If Enzo Maresca’s side win at the Emirates Stadium, they’ll move to within just three points of the Gunners.
Ahead of the London derby, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised Maresca by claiming he admires the way that the Chelsea head coach sets up his team.
It was a 1-1 draw when the clubs locked horns earlier in the season back in November at Stamford Bridge. Hopefully, the Blues can sign off before March’s international break with three points this time around.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea predicted XI vs Arsenal
The Chelsea Chronicle have predicted the Blues line-up we’re expecting to see start the match away to Arsenal.
Robert Sanchez
In the predicted XI, Robert Sanchez starting as the Chelsea goalkeeper is the one banker. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Maresca confirmed Sanchez will start versus Arsenal because he’s regained the positions as the number one keeper ahead of teammate Filip Jorgensen again.
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Reece James
It doesn’t get too much harder in this season’s Premier League than a trip to Arsenal, which is why we’re predicting the interesting decision from the manager to start Reece James at right-back. Maresca views James as a midfielder and has played him in the centre of the park in recent games, but we think he could revert to full-back away to the Gunners for extra security.
Wesley Fofana
Wesley Fofana started and impressed on his return from injury a week ago against Leicester City. We expect to see the key central defender in the XI at Arsenal.
Levi Colwill
The centre-back partnership is likely to be completed by Levi Colwill, someone who’s started 26 out of 28 league games so far this season.
Marc Cucurella
To complete the back four, Marc Cucurella slots in as the outstanding left-back at the club. In fact, we rate him as one of the very best left-backs in Europe across this campaign when you look at his individual form. Jason Cundy has been so impressed by Cucurella and his impact on the Chelsea team this season.
Moises Caicedo
The brilliant Moises Caicedo continues in the defensive midfield position as the heart and soul of the team. Even though Romeo Lavia was back on the bench against Southampton, we suspect it would be too risky to chuck him in to start against Arsenal, especially as an international break is just around the corner.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez starts again in his role as the box-to-box central midfielder. It’ll be fascinating to see whether he can outshine Arsenal’s Declan Rice, who’s likely to play a similar role for them.
Jadon Sancho
On the right wing, Jadon Sancho gets another chance to make a statement. It’s fair to say he’s not in the best of form because he’s not scored or assisted in his previous 12 appearances across all competitions. We simply need more from him.
Cole Palmer
Will this be the fixture that Cole Palmer finally ends his own goal drought of 10 matches? The Englishman is still very much one of the first names on the team sheet and looks dangerous, but he desperately needs something to fall for him in front of goal. Palmer’s penalty record is no longer perfect after his spot-kick was saved recently against Leicester.
Christopher Nkunku
Christopher Nkunku may get another shot to try influence the game as the left-winger. The Frenchman’s looked a lot more threatening recently as an inverted winger than a striker, but can he now turn up in a big game?
Pedro Neto
Finally, Pedro Neto completes the line-up as the cover at striker again. He should take confidence from the fact that he scored last time out against Arsenal.