Arsenal vs Chelsea preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Arsenal will host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in the 211th London Derby on Sunday, March 16, in an entertaining weekend before the international break.

Having finished as runners-up in the past two seasons, it seems increasingly probable they could face the same fate again. Key injuries to attacking players have hindered their performance, and although they hold a six-point advantage over third-place Nottingham Forest—whom they recently played to a goalless draw in their latest Premier League outing—a top-two finish is far from guaranteed.

Looking back, Mikel Arteta’s side will undoubtedly rue the missed chances and dropped points from earlier in the season, particularly during a four-match stretch between October and November when they managed to gather just two points from a possible 12.

Fans with Arsenal tickets know their hopes of lifting the Premier League title suffered a major blow after their impressive 15-match unbeaten run—ten wins and five draws—was abruptly ended by a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham. This result could have reduced the gap to Liverpool to just five points.

The situation worsened further when they travelled to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in the East Midlands. The game ended in a goalless draw, marking the Gunners’ first two-match scoreless streak since May 2023.

The North London side remains within reach of the title, and even if they fall short, a place in next season’s Champions League still seems achievable.

Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea are where they would have ideally liked to be before the international break. While Arsenal continue challenging Liverpool for the Premier League crown, they find themselves 13 points behind the leaders.

Chelsea were in solid form at the start of the season, losing just once in their first seven outings. Their performance remained strong, with defeats to Liverpool at Anfield and Newcastle as their only setbacks from October to December.

Their unbeaten run extended to 13 matches across all competitions, including a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Even with Arsenal’s formidable defence, their match against Chelsea marked only the fourth time they faced over 15 shots in a Premier League game this season. Pedro Neto, who scored the equaliser for Chelsea, extended his record of goal contributions against Arsenal to three consecutive Premier League starts.

Their form took a downturn toward the end of December, with a 0-0 draw against Everton marking the start of an unwelcome run of only four wins in 13 matches across all competitions.

Chelsea ended a three-match losing streak with a dominant 4-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton in their latest Premier League outing.

Southampton, however, offered little threat at Stamford Bridge, providing the Blues with the ideal chance to rebuild their confidence.

Now in fifth place, they trail fourth-placed Manchester City by just one point. The upcoming match against Arsenal will be crucial for their top-four aspirations, with Maresca hoping to lead Chelsea to their first win over the Gunners in seven encounters.

In their previous visit to the Emirates, Arsenal delivered a crushing 5-0 victory over Chelsea, marking their most significant win over the Blues in any competition and handing Chelsea their heaviest London derby defeat since a 6-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers in March 1986.

Heading into this match, Chelsea have suffered three consecutive away defeats, and this slump is hindering their pursuit of Champions League qualification. While they remain in fifth place, they are just one point outside the top four and two points behind third place.

Arsenal vs Chelsea match details

• Date: Sunday, March 16, 2025
• Location: London, England
• Venue: Emirates Stadium
• Kick-off time: 1:30 PM GMT
• Tickets: Arsenal vs Chelsea tickets are available through the club exchanges or via trusted online resellers

Match Stats and head-to-head

• These two teams have clashed 210 times since their first encounter on November 9, 1907. Arsenal, previously known as Woolwich Arsenal before adopting their current name in 1919, has emerged victorious 84 times. Chelsea, in contrast, has won 66 times, while 60 matches have ended in a draw.

• Chelsea defeated Southampton 4-0 in their most recent match on February 25, marking the first time in eight games that they managed to prevent their opponents from scoring.

• Enzo Maresca’s squad are struggling with form, losing three of their last four matches across all competitions. They have won only four of their previous 13 games.

• The Blues are on a seven-match winless streak away from home, with five defeats. They’ve been outscored 10-3 in their last four away losses.

• Arsenal, on the other hand, have now gone without a clean sheet in their last four home league matches.

• The Gunners average 6.48 corners per game in the Premier League this season, securing at least seven corners in eight home matches.

• In their last meeting at the Emirates, Arsenal delivered a dominant 5-0 victory over Chelsea, their biggest win in any competition, marking Chelsea’s heaviest London derby loss since a 6-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers in March 1986.

• After failing to score in their matches against West Ham and Nottingham Forest, Arsenal have gone through back-to-back Premier League blanks for the first time since May 2023. Including their Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle, they’ve failed to score in three of their last four games.

• Chelsea’s last win at the Emirates was in August 2021. Since then, they’ve failed to win any of their previous six encounters with Arsenal in North London.

• Arsenal have won eight of their last 11 matches against Chelsea, suffering only one loss and recording two draws during that stretch.

Team news

Arsenal will miss Kai Havertz for this clash following surgery for a torn hamstring.

Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are both anticipated to recover from their hamstring injuries later this month. However, it’s uncertain whether they’ll be fit in time for the match against Chelsea.

Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus remains the longest absentee after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which could keep him out of the remainder of the season.

Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

After serving his suspension against Nottingham Forest, Myles Lewis-Skelly is expected to return to the starting lineup. At the same time, Riccardo Calafiori, who scored the Gunners’ last goal in the 7-1 routing of PSV Eindhoven, could drop to the bench.

Chelsea’s injury woes were compounded two weeks ago when Trevoh Chalobah was forced off after just eight minutes during the match against Aston Villa due to a back issue. However, Maresca provided a more reassuring update than one of concern at full-time.

The former Crystal Palace loanee missed the clash against Southampton but is expected to return in time for the trip to North London to face Arsenal.

Chelsea still have a long list of injury concerns, with the likes of Omari Kellyman, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, and Marc Guiu—as well as the suspended Mykhaylo Mudryk—all sidelined.

Tosin Adarabioyo is expected to retain his place in the backline, while Maresca will decide between Malo Gusto, Reece James, and Josh Acheampong at right back.

Following his howler against Villa, Maresca was, of course, questioned on whether Filip Jorgensen would keep his place in goal, but in his pre-game press conference, he suggested that he would stick rather than twist. The Danish goalkeeper retained his place against Southampton and, if his performances improve, is expected to remain the Blues’ number one, possibly for the remainder of the season.

Predicted starting lineup

Arsenal predicted starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard

Chelsea predicted starting lineup:

Jorgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Sancho, Palmer, Nkunku; Neto

Prediction

Chelsea have underperformed and struggled whenever they have faced Arsenal in recent seasons. The Blues have only won one of their clashes against the Gunners since January 2020.

Arsenal are too good for the Blues, and they tend to find a way to win regardless of their form.

The Gunners’ 5-0 routing of the Blues in the last clash at the Emirates will relieve fond memories for the Gunners while spurring an eagerness among the Chelsea players to right the wrongs.

However, performances haven’t been the case for Chelsea but winning. They’re games where they perform admirably well but lack the winning mentality.

Arsenal are superior in this area and could use their compact defence to their advantage, giving it the edge to overpower Chelsea’s lacklustre attack.

We’re predicting a 2-0 win for Arsenal.