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Arsenal are unbeaten in 11 midweek league meetings with Chelsea, dating back to 1974. However, they’re looking to win successive visits to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1977.
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Chelsea to win and both teams to score NO is 2/1.
Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals is also 2/1.
Chelsea to win, over 2.5 goals and both teams to score NO is 11/1.
Kai Havertz is 5/1 to break the deadlock and 13/8 to add to his 13 goals this season.
Match preview
Arsenal’s season has started to fall apart at exactly the most inopportune moment.
This means Mikel Arteta’s side have now lost three consecutive matches, and four of their last five, following defeats at the hands of Crystal Palace and Brighton.
Thus, this is the first time since 1983/84 Arsenal have lost three successive league games twice in the same season, actually doing so three times in that campaign.
So, the Gunners have slipped from fourth all the way down to sixth in the table, three adrift of Tottenham who occupy the final Champions League spot.
Coming up now, Arteta’s team face the teams around them with games against Man United, West Ham and Spurs all in the next three weeks.
It certainly doesn’t get any easier for Arsenal, who are now looking to avoid losing four straight league games for the first time since March 1995.
Chelsea, in stark contrast, come into this one having booked their place in the FA Cup Final with a Wembley win on Sunday.
Second half strikes from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and then Mason Mount saw the Blues comfortably past Crystal Palace 2-0.
Thomas Tuchel’s team will now face Liverpool in the final, just as was the case in the Carabao Cup Final back in February.
This is just the second time both cup finals will be contested by the same clubs in the same season, after 1993 when Arsenal beat Sheffield Wednesday in both.
In the here and now, the FA Cup could represent Chelsea’s third trophy of the season, following the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
In Premier League terms, the Blues are very much on course for third having won six of their last seven, most recently demolishing Southampton 6-0.
So here, they’ll be confident of completing a first league double over Arsenal since 2015/16, a year the Gunners came second and Chelsea slumped to tenth.
Will Stamford Bridge witness a routine home win?
Chelsea team news
Having played 120 minutes against Real Madrid last midweek, Thiago Silva was only a substitute for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final.
But, the 37 year old Brazilian will return to the defence here, possibly alongside César Azpilicueta and Antonio Rüdiger.
Reece James played as part of the back three on Sunday, possibly to negate Palace’s attacking speed, but he’ll surely be back at wing-back for this one.
Further forward, Romelu Lukaku scored on his second Chelsea debut at Arsenal in August, but has only netted 11 times in all competitions since then.
So, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner could continue as the front three.
This’ll be Mount’s 100th top-flight appearance, so far racking up 23 goals and 18 assists, the most goal involvements of any English player 100 games in their Blues Premier League career.
Arsenal team news
In contrast, Mikel Arteta certainly doesn’t have an array of options at his disposal.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey are all out long-term and Arsenal are really struggling as a result.
Alexandre Lacazette missed Saturday’s trip to Southampton with Covid-19, so Eddie Nketiah could continue to lead the line in his absence.
The 22 year old, who was released by Chelsea as a teenager, last scored a Premier League goal the day the Super League was launched, one year and two days ago.
Elsewhere, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga could continue to deputise for Tierney and Partey respectively.
Emile Smith Rowe scored the winner at Stamford Bridge 11 months ago and could return to the midfield here.
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