Chelsea will welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge for Sunday’s much-anticipated Premier League derby.
Graham Potter’s men returned to winning ways with a 2-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb in midweek but it came at a cost with Ben Chilwell suffering a long-term hamstring injury. The England star has now been ruled out of the Gunners game alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga, who sustained a foot injury in last weekend’s defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chelsea will also be without summer signing Carney Chukwuemeka with a slight hamstring problem while Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana are long-term absentees. The only good news is that Mateo Kovacic is in contention to play after missing the midweek game with a calf issue. Chelsea must win on Sunday as they are already three points adrift of the top four.
Here is how Chelsea are expected to line up against Arsenal:
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy was back in contention in the second half at Brighton after Arrizabalaga’s injury. The Senegal star made his first start since September in the Zagreb win and is now expected to keep his place with Arrizabalaga unlikely to return until the World Cup, as per Potter.
Defence: Potter should revert to a more familiar back three against Arsenal to nullify their attacking threat. Thiago Silva obviously come into the line-up after his cameo role in midweek. He should be partnered by Trevoh Chalobah and Kalidou Koulibly either side. Chilwell’s injury means that Marc Cucurella is the only specialist left wing-back in the squad. The Spaniard has much to prove, having struggled since his big-money move from Brighton this summer. Potter could rely on the experience of Cesar Azpilicueta at right wing-back. We may see Chelsea drop into a back five when Arsenal are in possession before counter-attacking them.
Midfield: Potter has a possible selection headache on his hands as he has to choose between four to five options. If he were to pick based on the midweek performances, Denis Zakaria should be in line to make his Premier League debut for Chelsea. Holding onto possession will be key against a high-intensity Arsenal outfit. We prefer to go with Ruben Loftus-Cheek over Jorginho, who has the knack of getting dispossessed against high-pressing teams.
Attack: Mason Mount has been Chelsea’s most creative player so far this season and should occupy one of the attacking positions. He could be partnered by Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang despite their lack of goals lately. The duo’s pace could be key to unlocking Arsenal’s backline which has looked vulnerable on occasions on the counter-attack. Aubameyang will be keen to beat his former club after the nature of his departure last winter.
Expected Chelsea line-up vs Arsenal
