The stage is set on Sunday for Arsenal to host Chelsea for their second London derby this season. Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a bounce-back, but which of his players will be unavailable for this match?
It has been a rough month or so for the Gunners as their pre-season did not really go to plan. This was compounded by the loss to Brentford last week where the boss must been concerned by how toothless the team was in attack.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff Sun Aug 22, 430pm, Emirates Stadium
Team News Arsenal Chelsea
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal Chelsea
Referee: Paul Tierney
Form Guide (All Competitions): Arsenal (LDLLL) Chelsea (WWDWW)
The good news for the north Londoners is that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be available for Sunday. The captain, along with Alexandre Lacazette and Willian, had tested positive for COVID and missed last week’s game. Though the Gabonese forward could play a part, the other two remain unavailable.
There are other long-term injury absentees that the Gunners have to deal with in Eddie Nketiah, Thomas Partey and Gabriel. Arteta will be encouraged by the fact that the trio are expected to be back in training by the end of this month.
New arrival Martin Odegaard is not available due to issues with his registration.
The Emirates club have a tough start to the season as they will come up against Manchester City next week. So they must take extra effort to ensure they somehow get a positive result against the west Londoners here. Chelsea, with the inclusion of Romelu Lukaku, have an incredibly strong attack which is a cause for concern.
Arteta will want his players to repeat the heroics of last season where the north Londoners did the double over the Blues. The front four need to be on the lookout for counterattacking opportunities as the visitors are good at pressing.
If players like Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe use their pace and dribbling to get past the full-backs, the game will open up.
Arsenal might not have their captain, but they do have enough talent to aim for the three points. Playing in front of the home crowd, the Gunners should look to give the fans a performance that will make them proud.
If the young attack gets on the ball regularly, they have the capability to change the outcome of the match.