Having gone without a win in their past three Premier League matches, Champions League qualification is far from guaranteed for Arsenal. They find themselves only six points clear of fourth place Chelsea, who they host at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon [13:30 GMT].
For Mikel Arteta’s side, this might be considered a must win London derby. Not only would it consolidate their position in the top four, but it would also see them cut the gap to Liverpool to 12 points. With their title chances already hanging by a thread, Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to pounce on an unlikely slip up by Slot’s side.
As for Chelsea, back-to-back wins against Southampton and Leicester City have seen them climb back into the top four. They have the chance to go four points clear of Manchester City after they were held to a 2-2 draw to Brighton on Saturday.
Sunday’s battle will certainly answer plenty of questions around two sides that have faltered in recent times. Is Chelsea’s upturn in results a sign of them turning a corner under Enzo Maresca, or will Arsenal get back to winning ways to build momentum ahead of their monumental Champions League clash against Real Madrid?
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The stats
According to Opta, Arsenal are the favourites to come away with three points on Sunday. Their supercomputer gives the Gunners a 52.2% chance of victory, compared to Chelsea’s 23.6%.
In recent history, this fixture has been dominated by Arsenal. They are unbeaten in their last six games against Chelsea (W4 D2), which is their longest run without a league defeat against the Blues since a run of 19 between 1995 and 2005.
Additionally, Arsenal have won the the last two encounters at the Emirates, including a 5-0 thrashing last season. If the home side were to run out as victors on Sunday, it would be the first time since moving to the Emirates Stadium that they would have beaten Chelsea three times in a row; they last did so in the league at Highbury between 2001 and 2003.
A Chelsea win seems even more unlikely considering that since the start of the 2021-22, they have only won three of their 19 Premier league away games against sides starting above them in the table (D3 L13).
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Team news
Last week’s 1-1 draw away to Manchester United saw a welcome return back to the Arsenal squad for Gabriel Martinelli. Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the Brazilian forward can provide the missing firepower that has cost his side dearly in recent weeks.
However, Arsenal will still be without Bukayo Saka, who is gradually recovering from his hamstring injury, as well as Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, who are both ruled out for the rest of the season.
Chelsea have also been struck with a couple of injuries in their forward line. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are out both expected to be sidelined with muscle injuries until April.
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We expect Declan Rice and Cole Palmer to be the two players to watch on Sunday afternoon. Rice produced a heroic display at both ends of the pitch at Old Trafford last week, proving that he can be a catalyst for this Arsenal side. Meanwhile, Chelsea will be hoping that Palmer can reignite his form of last season as his talents will be required if the Blues are going to unlock the Premier League’s best defence.
TV guides
Arsenal v Chelsea will be live on Sky Sports as part of their Super Sunday triple header. Coverage begins at 13:00 GMT ahead of kickoff at 13:30 GMT on the Sky Sports Premier League channel.
FromTheSpot Prediction
We expect Arsenal to claim a 1-0 victory in a tight affair at the Emirates on Sunday.
Both sides will look to control the game, but Arsenal’s superior defence will likely prove to be the deciding factor in this London derby, having only conceded 24 goals in the league this season.
The question will be whether Arsenal can find the back of the net. Set-pieces have often been Arsenal’s best route to goal and they might have to rely on them again if they are to secure three points.