Chelsea will look to strengthen their grip on the third spot, while Arsenal will want to revive their top-four hopes when they clash this week in the Premier League.
The midweek clashes continue in the Premier League on Wednesday night as fans will be treated to another blockbuster clash, with Chelsea taking on London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea come into the game on the back of three consecutive victories in all competitions. Even though they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League via aggregate score, the Blues bounced back from the disappointment with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday to book a place in the FA Cup final.
Thomas Tuchel will now hope that his team can carry the momentum forward and seal the third spot in the Premier League table, with Tottenham Hotspur only five points away from them, although they have played two games more than Chelsea. As for Arsenal, their top-four hopes are slowly starting to fade after a wretched run of results recently.
Arsenal have lost four of their last five league matches, including each of the last three to Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, and most recently, Southampton this past weekend. Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped down to sixth in the table, three points shy of fourth-placed Tottenham, albeit with a game in hand.
Arsenal will be hoping to spark a turnaround of fortunes with a statement victory against Chelsea. However, their current form means it will be a difficult challenge for the Gunners. Furthermore, the Blues have already beaten their local rivals once this term, securing a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Emirates. They will be hoping for a repeat of that outcome on Wednesday.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Mateo Kovacic came off with an ankle injury during the FA Cup semi-finals against Crystal Palace and is ruled out for two weeks, Thomas Tuchel has confirmed. Apart from the Croatian international, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell remain the only other absentees for Chelsea.
The latest from the boss ahead of #CheArs tomorrow evening. ⤵️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 19, 2022
Tuchel is unlikely to tweak his formation, with the 3-4-1-2 system working well in recent matches. There could be a few personnel changes though following two high-intensity games against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace. Edouard Mendy is a certain starter between the sticks for the home team.
Thiago Silva should return to the lineup after making a substitute appearance over the weekend. He should slot in at the heart of the three-man backline, with Andreas Christensen moving to the right-sided centre-back role. It should allow Reece James to return to his natural wing-back position, with Cesar Azpilicueta dropping to the bench. Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso should be retained.
Moving into the middle of the park, N’Golo Kante could make a return against Arsenal after being benched for the FA Cup semi-finals. He will likely replace Jorginho in the lineup and keep a close watch on Martin Odegaard’s movement. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who scored his first goal for Chelsea in three years against Palace, should partner Kante in the middle and provide the attacking thrust.
No changes are expected in the final third of the pitch as Mason Mount continues in the No. 10 role, trying to stitch play together and create chances while posing a goal threat himself. The in-form German duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz will pair up at the top, with Romelu Lukaku on the bench yet again.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; James, Loftus-Cheek, Kante, Alonso; Mount; Havertz, Werner
Arsenal
Kieran Tierney is out for the rest of the season, while midfielder Thomas Partey is also unlikely to step foot on the pitch for the remainder of the campaign. Takehiro Tomiyasu is closing in on a return, but Wednesday’s game comes too soon for him. Arsenal captain Alexandre Lacazette missed the defeat to Southampton due to Covid but is likely to be available against Chelsea, although he may not be ready to start.
Mikel Arteta is expected to set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Cedric Soares remains the obvious starter in Tomiyasu’s absence, while Nuno Tavares should continue to deputise for Tierney on the left. Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes should pair up at the heart of the Arsenal defence, although they will have a difficult time against the Chelsea frontline.
Granit Xhaka will be the seniormost player on the pitch for Arsenal and will have the responsibility of keeping things composed on the night. With Partey ruled out, Albert Sambi Lokonga should partner the Swiss midfielder in the double pivot while the chance-creating responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Martin Odegaard.
The Norwegian will have support from fellow attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who will likely occupy the left flank after not starting against Southampton. Bukayo Saka should get the nod on the right, while Gabriel Martinelli could be deployed as the No. 9 after Eddie Nketiah’s toothless display over the weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Lokonga, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Martinelli
Key Stats
- Chelsea are looking to complete their first league double over Arsenal since 2015/16, following their 2-0 victory at the Emirates earlier in the season.
- Arsenal won the corresponding fixture last season, beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. They have not won back-to-back away league games against the Blues since September 1997.
- Chelsea have lost their last two home matches in all competitions, as many as they had done in their previous 27 at the Bridge.
- Arsenal have lost their previous two away London derbies in the Premier League, having been beaten by Brentford and Crystal Palace. They last lost three in a row in April 2017.
- If Mason Mount plays on Wednesday, it will be his 100th Premier League appearance for Chelsea. With 23 goals and 18 assists, he has been involved in more goals than any other English player in their first 100 Premier League games for the Blues (41).
Player to Watch
Timo Werner
Timo Werner’s last three games for Chelsea… ⚡️
• 5 goals + assists
• 2x Man of the Match pic.twitter.com/XhCq4tVl10— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) April 18, 2022
After enduring a poor campaign thus far, Timo Werner has seemingly burst into life in recent weeks, putting in some eye-catching displays in the final third for Chelsea, with five contributions in his last three appearances. The German has not only been among the goals of late but his understanding and link-up play with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz have made the Blues’ attack sharper and more dangerous.
Werner netted twice in Chelsea’s 6-0 triumph over Southampton in their last league game after having scored just twice in his previous 27 appearances in the competition. Only once has the German international found the back of the net in consecutive Premier League matches for the club, having done so in November 2020. He will hope to achieve that feat again when he steps out to face Arsenal.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal looked like the favourites to clinch a top-four finish not very long ago, but a poor run of results is threatening to derail their campaign. Injuries to key players like Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney and the absence of Alexandre Lacazette have exposed their lack of quality depth in key areas of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have recovered well from their European setback. Even though they missed out on the semi-finals berth in the Champions League, they performed well to defeat Real Madrid last week and followed it up with a solid display against a tricky Crystal Palace outfit on Sunday.
Based on form, Chelsea should be able to pick up all points on Wednesday night and could very well cap it off with a clean sheet, given that Arsenal have not scored in three of their last five league games.
