Arsenal vs Chelsea preview: How to watch, predicted lineups, score prediction & injury updates

The second round of Premier League fixtures have coughed up a cracking affair for Arsenal as they host reigning European Champions Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Here is the match preview.

A London derby is always a fixture to savour, although Arsenal aren’t heading into this one with any real confidence, for rather obvious reasons, even with familiar faces back on home soil.

Defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the season got the 2021/22 campaign off to the worst possible start, as a limp Gunners display showcased many of the issues that plagued the side last term in worryingly similar fashion.

Additionally, frailties from set pieces, one of few strengths from the previous campaign, were added to pre-existing concerns over the tempo of build-up play and shakiness playing out from the back.

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Arsenal vs Chelsea Premier League preview: Arteta’s side face off against Romelu Lukaku and co in Sunday’s London Derby

Brentford were by far the better side on the night and thoroughly deserved their victory, but it is no secret that this team can and has to improve rapidly to avoid another miserable eight months of regression.

Thus, having Chelsea make the journey north perhaps isn’t the ideal course of this frantic feast. Alternatively, is it the best game for Mikel Arteta’s side to turn the tide and lift the spirits around the club? Absolutely.

That doesn’t mean it will happen, however. As much as we’d like it to.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are on an upward trajectory and despite boasting a brilliant squad of players have added to that further with the £100m capture of a certain Romelu Lukaku. Hoping to avoid a second successive defeat to start the season, a big performance is needed.

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Sunday 22 August
What Time Is Kick Off? 16:30 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Emirates Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK) fuboTV (USA)
Referee? Paul Tierney

Continued…

Arsenal vs Chelsea Team News – Romelu Lukaku Enters the Fray

A week on from that demoralising 2-0 loss to Brentford and the club have signed two new players!

First to be announced was Martin Odegaard who arrives from Real Madrid on a permanent deal worth £30m, a brilliant piece of business that will add vital creativity to this Arsenal side.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to secure a visa in time and will not be available for selection. As for the other new arrival, Aaron Ramsdale, who followed suit not long after, looks like he will be available for selection and thus should be set for a place on the bench.

More are expected.

Elsewhere, Arsenal confirmed that four players tested positive for COVID-19 in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Willian and Alex Runarsson.

Two of those, Aubameyang and Willian, could feature on Sunday if they recover in time which is unlikely, while the other two are confirmed to be out of contention. Joining them on the sidelines are Gabriel (knee), Eddie Nketiah (ankle) and Thomas Partey (ankle).

Just in time for this one, Chelsea are in frighteningly fine fettle. Romelu Lukaku will make his second debut for the club while Tuchel may also welcome back N’Golo Kante in midfield and Reece James in defence.

Their absentees are Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech (might return) and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Still, not too bad.

Continued…

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea

Arsenal: Leno; Chambers, White, Mari, Tierney; Sambi, Xhaka, Pepe, Smith Rowe, Saka; Martinelli

Chelsea: Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell; Mount, Lukaku, Havertz

Arsenal vs Chelsea Score Prediction

Sure, two new signings may have walked through the doors to lift the mood in and around the place (even if one of them can’t play and the other won’t play) but that doesn’t detract from the difficulty of the occasion.

Chelsea are very good…yet Arteta’s side also have a strong record against them of late.

What the Blues lacked last season was a certified goalscorer and in Lukaku they’ve invested heavily in someone who unfortunately is just that. What is interesting, however, is that in 15 matches against Arsenal the Belgian has only scored twice, with one of those coming from the penalty spot.

Hope to cling on to? We’ll see.

As for what home side can do on Sunday, switching to a back three and matching up Chelsea’s two strikers with a free man for covering seems like the wisest choice. Low-block Arsenal are surprisingly tough to break down and with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe up front there is raw pace on the break.

However, for some reason, you get the feeling Arteta will stick to the 4-2-3-1. No basis for that argument, but with it potentially centered around ensuring the fans are in jubilant mood and encouraged by an attacking approach, it could be in operation.

If it is, you do fear. You fear anyway, in truth.

Arsenal were dreadful against Brentford and with near enough the exact same personnel, why should it be any different against far stronger opposition?

Score Prediction: Arsenal 1-3 Chelsea