The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea vs Arsenal match preview: London Derby in the Premier League

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea battles for possession with Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on August 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea battles for possession with Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on August 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (R) slides in to tackle Chelsea’s English midfielder Mason Mount (C) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 22, 2021. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (R) slides in to tackle Chelsea’s English midfielder Mason Mount (C) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 22, 2021. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

The season may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean Chelsea doesn’t have a few more important fixtures circled on its calendar. The Blues kept their FA Cup hopes alive on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium. They remain involved in two competitions during the final month of the season, with the final being played mid-May against Liverpool. Chelsea now turns its attention back to the Premier League following a Champions League exit, as it remains hopeful that it can secure a place in next season’s competition soon.

The Blues have spent the entirety of the domestic campaign thus far in the Premier League’s top three places. They led the way for a while until a rough patch during the winter saw them drop down to third in the table. Nevertheless, they’ve held a consistent lead on top four rivals Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham all season long. It is the former that prepares to face off with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge later this week.

The Gunners have gone into a funk of their own recently—dropping points in four of their last five Premier League matches—after jumping into the top four. They were beaten 2-0 by their west London counterparts earlier in the season at the Emirates with Romelu Lukaku and Reece James the heroes on the day for the visitors. Chelsea is being presented with a golden opportunity on Wednesday both to secure its top four status with just seven games remaining and essentially knock Arsenal out of top four contention. They will undoubtedly be exhausted given the tremendous effort its taken them to overcome Real Madrid and Crystal Palace over the last week, but those opportunities are enough to motivate any professional player to raise their game.

It wouldn’t be a late-season London Derby between the blue and red portions of the English capital if it wasn’t for some high stakes. The eyes of the Premier League will be on the Bridge on Wednesday as a couple different teams will be interested in the result at full-time. All signs point toward Thomas Tuchel and his squad being the favorites in the latest installment of this rivalry. However, all history is thrown out the window when the Blues and Gunners get together.

Match information and preview for Chelsea vs. Arsenal in the Premier League

Date: Wednesday, April 20
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. GMT)
Location: London, England
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Odds: Chelsea -110 (WynnBet)
TV Info: USA Network (USA), Sky Sports (UK)

Home/Premier League