Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Chelsea

Arsenal will be bidding to end their three-game winless run in the Premier League on Sunday when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

The Gunners are already seven points behind league leaders Liverpool, and failure to win at Stamford Bridge could prove fatal for their title hopes. They have lost twice in a row—a 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League was followed by another defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League by the same scoreline.

With the London derby against Chelsea being the final clash before a two-week international break, Mikel Arteta and Co. will be desperate to end their rut.

Arsenal Team News

Declan Rice missed the trip to Inter Milan with a suspected broken toe and remains a big doubt for the game against Chelsea, having not trained all week.

Kai Havertz suffered a nasty cut on his head after colliding with Yann Bisseck, and as a result, he couldn’t continue in the second half against Inter but the German is expected to feature. Martin Odegaard’s return from injury in midweek is a major boost for Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Kieran Tierney (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) remain out with injuries, while Raheem Sterling is ineligible to face his parent club having joined the Gunners on loan in August.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Chelsea (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper

David Raya hasn’t kept a clean sheet since the north London derby win over Tottenham on September 15, so he will be hungry to get one on Sunday but must work extremely hard against a good Chelsea side.

Defence

There is no looking past Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba when it comes to picking the centre-backs for Arsenal. The duo have to stay strong and focused throughout the game, given Nicolas Jackson’s unrelenting urge to run the channels.

Ben White and Jakub Kiwior should operate as the full-backs and they will be tasked with stopping Chelsea wingers Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto from making inroads.

Midfield

Declan Rice is working hard to pass a late fitness test and there are high chances he starts the game at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Partey has been Arsenal’s best player in recent games and will likely sit at the base of the midfield, while Arteta is expected to not hesitate in throwing Martin Odegaard to the starting XI after he recovered from his injury.

Mikel Merino and Jorginho could come off the bench to add more solidity and muscle to the midfield.

Attack

Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s best attacker, will look to combine with Odegaard and White on the right to create problems for Chelsea. Gabriel Martinelli hopes to keep his place on the left flank, with Kai Havertz expected to be fit in time to lead the attack against his former club.

Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri will have to be content with roles on the bench.