Arsenal vs Chelsea preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Both teams to score

• Over 2.5 goals

• Arsenal to score

• Over 5.5 corners

There is always noise around Arsenal against Chelsea, but this meeting at the Emirates comes with sharper stakes than most. 

The Gunners sit top of the Premier League and are trying to convert control into silverware. Arteta's men have been rebuilding the walls of the Emirates fortress since January's shock defeat to Manchester United, winning four home games on the spin and keeping clean sheets in each of their last three, while netting eight times themselves.

Fresh from thrashing arch-rivals Tottenham 4-1 again, the Gunners now return home looking for another statement result to show that their title charge is well and truly back on track after another recent wobble.

However, the gap to second-place Manchester City - who have a game in hand - could be whittled down to just two points by the time Arsenal take to the pitch on Sunday, with their closest rivals in action away at Leeds on Saturday evening.

Chelsea’s latest visit to N5 comes just a matter of weeks after the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie at the same venue, where Kai Havertz scored a last-gasp winner against his former club to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory and Liam Rosenior’s interesting tactical approach caused plenty of fiery debate.

The Blues have also been very inconsistent of late, with frustrating home top-flight draws with relegation battlers Leeds and Burnley. The Premier League form book slightly favours the men in blue, though, who have taken 14 points from their last 18 games compared to Arsenal's 11.

Chelsea continue to concede late goals and their disciplinary record remains a key talking point as they sit fifth going into the weekend, three points behind fourth-place Manchester United and level with Liverpool in sixth as they enter a tricky run of fixtures.

Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-2 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie last month, before a last-gasp 1-0 win at home sealed a 4-2 aggregate victory and a Wembley date with Manchester City in March.

The two sides played out a feisty 1-1 draw in the league at Stamford Bridge back in November, when Merino cancelled out Trevoh Chalobah’s opener and Moises Caicedo was sent off.

However, Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal in any competition since a 2-0 league triumph under Thomas Tuchel at the Emirates in August 2021 – a run of 10 matches.

Can an Arsenal season ever be truly complete without a Bukayo Saka injury scare? The England international suffered an awkward ankle twist in the dying embers against Spurs, but Arteta did not deliver a post-game update, suggesting that he should be okay to take part in this derby.

Kai Havertz is also due to train on Saturday and could return, but Ben White (knock) is more of a doubt, while Max Dowman will play in an Under-21s friendly on Friday so will likely not be involved at the weekend.

Martin Odegaard was a second-half substitute last weekend after shaking off a knee issue, but the skipper will surely play second fiddle to Eze once again; each of the latter's last 11 Premier League goals has been scored in London.

On Chelsea's end, Rosenior will be forced into a defensive alteration owing to Fofana's sending-off for two bookable offences against Burnley, which carries a one-game suspension. Tosin Adarabioyo or Josh Acheampong should be given the nod to deputise for Fofana in defence.

However, Rosenior is still missing Marc Cucurella (thigh) and Estevao Willian (thigh) for the trip to Arsenal.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (thigh) and Levi Colwill (knee) are also sidelined for the visitors, as is Mykhaylo Mudryk, who has now broken the record for the longest suspension in Premier League history.

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Gusto; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Pedro

Arsenal's greatest player of all time, Thierry Henry, has admitted that he is more worried about Chelsea than he was about Spurs, but the Frenchman should have no reason to fret. Despite a generally positive start to life under Rosenior, leaking cheap late goals is becoming a nasty habit and they are still yet to fix their dire issues with discipline.

It may not be particularly pretty, but confident Arsenal should have enough to get the job done again here – albeit in less convincing fashion than against sorry Spurs.

Correct score prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea