Arsenal vs Chelsea preview: How to watch on TV and live stream
Chelsea team news
The biggest piece of Chelsea team news relates to Lukaku. As previously mentioned, the Belgian will play a part at the Emirates on Sunday. Only Tuchel and his staff truly know in what capacity he will participate, but after almost a full week of training, a majority of supporters believe he will be ready to start. Nevertheless, his return is a huge confidence boost for the Blues, who now have an established No. 9 that fits their system within their ranks. Lukaku is a proven goalscorer in England—thought to be the final piece of the puzzle in Tuchel’s side.
Elsewhere, both Hakim Ziyech and N’Golo Kante returned to training during the latter stages of the week. Ziyech missed out on the Crystal Palace clash due to a shoulder injury suffered in the first half of the Super Cup. He luckily did not require surgery and only ended up missing about a week and some change. Kante also picked up a knock against Villarreal, he did not feature in the Premier League opener either. The Frenchman is more likely to start than his Moroccan counterpart, although it’d be a surprise to see either in the starting XI. If Kante does get picked, he’s got a history of bossing Arsenal’s midfield, so that’s something to watch.
Lastly, Christian Pulisic will not feature for Chelsea. The American winger was not pictured in practice on Tuesday, nor did he show up to the live training session at Stamford Bridge midweek. There was a lot of speculation around whether he had been put up for sale or if he’d picked up an injury, all of it proving false. Tuchel revealed on Friday that the Blues’ No. 10 tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently isolating. Pulisic updated his followers on social media the same day, claiming he feels fine thanks to his vaccination, appreciates the support and looks forward to being back out on the pitch soon.
Arsenal team news
Pulisic isn’t the only one involved in this bout facing Coronavirus problems though. Arsenal strike partnership, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, have both had issues with COVID-19 over the last week or so. The latter has already been ruled out of the contest as he continues to isolate and recover. Meanwhile, Aubameyang will be a game-time decision for Arteta, who is monitoring the forward’s progress after he returned a negative COVID test just a few days ago. Neither played in the 2-0 loss to Brentford, so this would be Aubameyang’s season debut.
Arsenal’s Coronavirus struggles don’t end there though. Alex Runarsson and Willian also contracted COVID in the same timespan. Runarsson is out, along with Lacazette, and Willian will also be a close call. The former Chelsea man could be fit to feature against his former club, but given the fact there has been a lot of talk surrounding his desire to leave north London, it’s highly unlikely. Gabriel Magalhaes, Eddie Nketiah and Thomas Partey will all be out as they continue to recover from injuries suffered earlier in the month.