Chelsea vs Arsenal Preview, Team News, Line-Ups, Betting Tips & Prediction

Chelsea will be looking to cement their position at the top of the Premier League table when they take on Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night with Diego Costa missing a second half penalty to spurn the chance to open up an even greater advantage at the summit.

However, Chelsea were let off the hook as all of their main title rivals dropped points in midweek to leave Antonio Conte’s men sitting nine points clear with just 15 games remaining.

Arsenal were perhaps the most disappointed after they slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Watford on Tuesday and defeat tomorrow would leave the north Londoners 12 points adrift of the leaders so Arsene Wenger knows this game is make-or-break for his side.

The north Londoners can take heart from the fact they thrashed Chelsea 3-0 in the reverse fixture back in September, however, that game prompted a change in formation from Conte that’s seen them win 15 of their last 17 league games, so they’ll face a very different Chelsea team tomorrow.

Team news

Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns to worry about so Conte has a fully-fit squad to choose from. The Italian has played a settled side for much of the season but we could see Pedro and Cesc Fabregas brought in tomorrow to freshen things up.

Arsenal will be without Aaron Ramsey after he sustained a calf injury in midweek and has been ruled out for three weeks but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to be passed fit despite picking up a minor knee problem.

Olivier Giroud is also facing a late fitness test on an ankle injury but Danny Welbeck is expected to get a recall after being rested on Tuesday night.

Hector Bellerin and Theo Walcott are also expected to come back in to the starting eleven but Santi Cazorla remains unavailable as he continues to nurse an Achilles problem.

Granit Xhaka is also out as he serves the third of his four-match suspension while Mohamed Elneny is still away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Likely Line-ups

Predicted Score

Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal: The Gunners were extremely poor in the first half against Watford and a similar display tomorrow will almost certainly see their title hopes ended for another year. I do think Wenger will get a response from his players and I expect a decent game at the Bridge, but ultimately I think Chelsea will be too strong on home soil so I’m going for a 2-1 Blues win.