Chelsea vs Arsenal preview: How to watch, top four, prediction, lineups, live stream

Arsenal are aiming to avoid a fourth straight Premier League defeat on Wednesday and keep their faint top four hopes alive as they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Here is the match preview.

Should we begin with a positive? Arsenal have lost only one of the previous five meetings between these sides, securing four points from their last two matches in west London.

Those results include last season’s double over Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel respectively, although the clash earlier in the season was one of the more one-sided affairs Arsenal have been involved in this term.

So, on that front, it’s not all too gloomy. Until you switch your attention to the form table and the three performances Arsenal have just produced, that is.

Chelsea vs Arsenal preview: Premier League London derby, how to watch, top four race, score prediction, predicted lineups, live stream

While the table reads very clearly that Arsenal – despite their best efforts – are well in the pursuit for Champions League football, what the eyes have told fans is otherwise. Key injuries were always going to weaken the team but suddenly it’s as if the belief has been drained from the players.

There is a sluggishness to the football, a total lack of cutting edge in attack and every shot Aaron Ramsdale is faced with seems to find its way into the back of the net. The 1-0 defeat to Southampton has well and truly knocked the stuffing out of the team and the supporters.

Which is why Chelsea away from home isn’t especially welcoming as the next fixture.

The Blues find themselves with precious little to play for outside of their upcoming FA Cup final. Being knocked out of the Champions League despite a superb victory away at Real Madrid, losing the Carabao Cup final earlier this year and comfortably in the Premier League no-man’s land where they out of the title race but safe in third, it’s just London pride on the line for them.

Unlike the visitors, who will need to head across the capital and win. This slippery slide down the table is putting even Europa League at risk and with Manchester United to come after this game there needs to be some momentum built up if they’re to end this torrid run.

It’s always nice to beat Chelsea. There aren’t many more pleasant feelings.

But at this stage, even just a goal will do to start with. One of those wouldn’t go amiss, and then after that we can talk about building on that and perhaps causing an upset.

What a mouthwatering game Wednesday has in store for us.

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Wednesday 20 April
What Time Is Kick Off? 19:45 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK) fuboTV (USA)
Referee? Jonathan Moss
Who is on VAR? Adam Nunn

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Arsenal Team News vs Chelsea – Thomas Partey to Miss Rest of Season

When the club didn’t offer a date on Thomas Partey’s injury recovery it gave a strong enough hint that his season was over. Speaking ahead of the Southampton game, Arteta said as much.

"“The news that we got after having another assessment is not great,” he said. “It’s not looking very positive for his availability this season, but we’ll have to wait and see. He’s trying to get back as quick as possible but at the moment we are not very optimistic about it.”"

Unless this is one of his more outlandish mind games, it’s curtains for our Ghanaian this season.

Someone who it was initially predicted would be back in time for this game was Takehiro Tomiyasu. Arteta mentioned that he would return to full training after the Southampton game, but there has been no word of his return yet and given the length of time he’s been out it’s unlikely he’ll be thrown back into the deep end.

Other than that it’s still Kieran Tierney out, with more uncertainty over Alexandre Lacazette who the manager said was still recovering from Covid-19, which kept him out of the Saint defeat. It’s touch and go for him.

Chelsea look set to be without Mateo Kovacic for Wednesday as he limped off from their 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Crystal Palace, and he will join Ross Barkley who was also absent from the squad.

Calum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell remain long-term absentees.

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Arsenal Predicted Lineup to Face Chelsea – Tomiyasu Back in 4-3-3?

Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Loftus-Cheek, Havertz, Mount

Arsenal: Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Odegaard, Sambi, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli

Chelsea vs Arsenal Score Prediction

Unfortunately it appears as if Chelsea have recovered from their European hangover already. A quite frankly dire opening 45 minutes against Palace failed to capture the imagination, especially after their intense performance at the Bernabeu. They kicked into gear after the break.

If it is a Blues side more closely resembling the Wembley outfit then Arsenal might just stand a chance. Otherwise, it’s fingers and toes all crossed.

The form of the visiting side is too poor to consider them in with a chance, however; what was once a team flying high with belief is now crestfallen and shackled by doubt. While the willingness is there from the players, when you’re lacking confidence every action becomes that little bit looser and more forced. That’s where Arsenal are.

One rather glaring concern for this game is that Chelsea have the third best defensive record in the division. Were it not for that bizarre Brentford meltdown they’d have the best. Meanwhile, since being beaten by Manchester City, the Gunners have scored just 12 goals in 11 games – despite recording an xG of 20.9 over that period.

To secure victory in this one it might need to be a bit like the 1-0 win here last season. On that occasion it was the hosts who had all the possession and the chances, with Emile Smith Rowe scoring the only goal when he pounced on a Jorginho howler.

That was also a heavily rotated Blues side, a luxury Arsenal are unlikely to receive this time.

Stranger things have happened though, haven’t they? This is one of those bizarre matches where Arteta’s side could quite easily emerge from this game victorious, and nobody would be especially surprised.

Equally, they could also be on the end of a hammering.

Score Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal