Chelsea vs Arsenal: Match preview, predicted lineups, quotes, form, injuries and how to watch

When and where to watch Chelsea vs Arsenal

Chelsea vs Arsenal kicks off at 12 noon on Sunday 6 November.

You can catch all the action from Stamford Bridge exclusively live on BT Sport 1 and Ultimate - STREAM LIVE

Chelsea vs Arsenal match preview 

Premier League football gets off to an explosive start on Sunday with two London giants reigniting their rivalry at noon. 

Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after a 4-1 humbling last weekend against Brighton, but will be without their England international left-back Ben Chillwel who suffered a hamstring injury in midweek. 

Add that to the injury to Reece James on the right, Wesley Fofana in the centre of defence and Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal and Chelsea go into this match with some big injury issues in defence. 

They did however uncover a hidden gem among their ranks against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday - Denis Zakaria looks the real deal and could add some steel to Chelsea's midfield. 

And up front Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeang needs no introduction. Can he get on the scoresheet against his former club?

Arsenal are attempting to take back top spot from Man City, who beat Fulham despite going down to 10 men on Saturday.

The Gunners won in midweek against bottom-of-the-group Zurich, though it was a tense match that required the Gunners' full effort. 

With Man City leapfrogging Arsenal on Saturday, the Gunners will need to keep winning, but if they can overcome the Blues and follow it up with another win before the World Cup break (away at Wolves), Arsenal fans can begin to believe that another Premier League title is heading their way.

Chelsea vs Arsenal predicted lineups

Chelsea: (3-4-2-1) Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella, Sterling, Mount, Aubameyang

Arsenal: (4-3-3) Ramsdale, While, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli. 

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Injuries and suspensions

Chelsea suffered a devestating blow against Dinamo Zagreb in mid-week, when left-back Ben Chillwel pulled up with a serious hamstring injury. 

The defender will now miss out on the World Cup in Qatar, while Chelsea will likely call on summer signing Marc Cucurella to step up in defence. 

The £63m Spaniard has endured a torrid time since arriving from Brighton. He's been subbed off in four of his last five matches by Graham Potter, but now has the chance to impress in his favoured left-back position. 

Edouard Mendy is likely to keep his place in goal after a foot injury to Kepa Arrizabalaga last weekend, while Mateo Kovacic is a slight doubt after missing the match with Dinamo Zagreb through injury. 

Denis Zakaria complained of cramp during his man-of-the-match performance in mid-week, and took a knock on the leg, but will be available for selection on Sunday. 

Things are looking up for Arsenal on the injury front. Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko both made the subsitute bench in mid-week - likely being saved for the London derby. 

Takehiro Tomiyasu came off the bench to play for 15 minutes against Zurich but had to be subbed back off after suffering a muscular injury, so won't be available for the Chelsea match. 

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Form guide

Graham Potter experienced his first defeat as Chelsea boss when his side were well-beaten by his former club Brighton. The 4-1 defeat was somewhat surprising seeing as Chelsea had been on a great run of form and the Seagulls were still searching for their first win under their new manager. 

A win against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday will have given the Blues a confidence boost as they welcome top-of-the-table Arsenal to Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League. A win could put them level on points with Newcastle who are in fourth. 

Arsenal got back to winning ways last weekend with a 5-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest. That result came after an unexpected draw away to Southampton. 

In mid-week, Arsenal were expected to cruise through their final fixture in Group A of the Europa League. In a top vs bottom clash against FC Zurich, the Gunners needed three points to win the group and avoid a playoff round against one of the third-placed Champions League teams. 

Arsenal secured the win in what was a tense affair. They probably needed to exert themselves more than they'd have wanted. Will there be a hangover on Sunday or can Mikel Arteta's men continue their fine form and continue to top the table with just one more match remaining before the World Cup break? 

He said what?!

Graham Potter on Denis Zakaria's performance in mid-week:

"He’s been, as you can imagine, frustrated and disappointed when he doesn’t play. That’s the life of a player but he’s handled himself really well.

“He’s kept himself fit, he’s trained really hard, supported the team and his teammates in a really good way. When you do that, you give yourself a chance to perform when your opportunity comes.

"So credit to him. Everyone was so happy for him and it was a great story for the whole group I think.”

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Last time they met

The Gunners left Stamford Bridge with all three points the last time these two met in April. 

The match finished 4-2 to the Reds, moving them to joint fourth in the table with their North London rivals Spurs in the race for Champions League football.

Eddie Nketiah scored a brace, while strikes from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka completed the scoring for Arsenal.

Cheslea's goals came from Timo Werner and Cesar Azpilicueta. 

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Players to watch

Denis Zakaria was finally given his chance to shine in a Chelsea shirt when he started against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday. 

The Swiss internatinal only lasted 71 minutes before being taken off with cramp and a knock on the leg, but in those minutes he put in a man-of-the-match display. 

On top of scoring Chelsea's winner after 30 minutes, he won the ball back for the Blues sevent times, allowing his team to put pressure on the Croatian's defense. The performance drew comparisons to his injured teammate N'Golo Kante. 

The Juve loanee joined Chelsea on transfer deadline day and that was his first appearance. He's now a real option for Potter to play in midfield, especially if Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek aren't available. 

While Zakaria's qualities are unknown in the Premier League, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang needs no introduction. 

The 33-year-old scored 68 goals in 128 appearances for Arsenal before leaving under a cloud earlier this year. 

After a spell at Barcelona, Aubameyang is now back in England playing for Chelsea. He's only scored one league goal for the Blues and there are questions over his place in the team, but could this be the match, against his old club, where he truly marks his return? 

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Key stats

• Arsenal have won their last two Premier League away games against Chelsea, as many as in their previous 16 visits. They’ve not won three in a row at Stamford Bridge since April 1974. 

• Each of Arsenal’s last six Premier League goals against Chelsea have been scored by English players, with Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah each netting twice. Just six of the Gunners’ previous 54 league strikes (excl. own goals) against the Blues between 1999 and 2020 were scored by Englishmen.

• Arsenal have won their last four Premier League London derbies, last winning more consecutively between April and October 2013 (5). They’ve won both such away games without conceding so far this season – they've never won three in a row while keeping a clean sheet each time before.

• Arsenal have scored more goals in the opening 30 minutes of Premier League games this season than any other side (11), while they're the only side yet to concede in this timeframe. The Gunners are also one of three sides yet to concede in the final 15 minutes of games (along with Brighton and Southampton), netting five goals themselves. 

• Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has had more touches in the opposition box than any other player in the Premier League this season (124). He's averaging 10.7 such touches per 90 minutes, with the leading player for the Gunners in this regard last term averaging just 7.7 (Nicolas Pépé, minimum 500 minutes played). 

• Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored 68 goals in 128 Premier League games for Arsenal between 2018 and 2021, including one against the Blues in December 2019 – he could become just the second player to score for both sides in this fixture in the Premier League (excluding own goals), after Cesc Fàbregas.