Arsenal are preparing to make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to play against Chelsea this weekend.
The Gunners are on a high this week, as they first managed to beat rivals Tottenham last Sunday, and then beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get any easier though, as they face off against rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
Chelsea are currently the closest challengers to Arsenal in the Premier League; They could close the gap to three points with a win, but with the way the Gunners are playing, that will be a very tough task for Enzo Maresca’s side.
Mikel Arteta could have some difficult lineup decisions to make as he hopes to extend the Gunners’ lead to nine points at the top of the table…
ARSENAL PREDICTED LINEUPS
GK – David Raya – Raya has been a huge part of why Arsenal have been so good this season, he will hope for a clean sheet against Chelsea.
LB – Riccardo Calafiori – The Italian left-back starts, and will likely come up against Chelsea star winger Estevao, which could be a battle to watch on Sunday.
CB – William Saliba – Saliba starts as the leader in Arteta’s back line, hoping to keep the Blues quiet at Stamford Bridge.
CB – Piero Hincapie – Hincapie replaced the injured Gabriel last weekend against Spurs, so he will likely keep the place for the Chelsea game.
RB – Jurrien Timber – Timber has been excellent for Arsenal this season, he will hope to make an impact against Chelsea on Sunday.
Rice hopes to get revenge on his academy side
CM – Martin Zubimendi – Zubimendi has become a mainstay in Arteta’s midfield, and he will potentially battle against Cole Palmer, who could play on Sunday.
CM – Declan Rice – Rice was in the Chelsea academy before he moved to West Ham, so could get his revenge on them this weekend.
CAM – Eberechi Eze – Eze comes off an incredible week after he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham last weekend.
Martinelli replaces the injured Trossard for Arsenal
LW – Gabriel Martinelli – The Brazilian winger comes in for Trossard, who has been excellent recently. But, Trossard is dealing with a minor knock, so he could be benched.
RW – Bukayo Saka – Saka will hope to get back on the scoresheet, as he hasn’t netted as many goals as he would have wanted so far this season.
ST – Viktor Gyokeres – Gyokeres could return from his injury this weekend, and is currently being assessed. If he were to miss the game, Mikel Merino would likely start up front.