Chelsea vs Arsenal predicted XI: 3-4-1-2 in the London Derby

Chelsea's Danish defender Andreas Christensen (C) vies for the ball against Arsenal's Brazilian striker Gabriel Martinelli (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 22, 2021. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Reece James of Chelsea celebrates vs Arsenal (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James has featured on the right side of the back three a number of times and he has done quite well. The Englishman has been injured frequently this season, and Tuchel mentioned that he wanted to protect his young fullback at all costs by playing him as a centerback. James’ presence on the pitch is extremely important as he has the pace and strength to recover from any situation. He’ll be deployed as a right wingback in this contest though, as that’s where he excels.

N’Golo Kante (No. 7) Central midfielder, France

Jorginho and Kante have both been inconsistent this season. Jorginho has been struggling in general as he hasn’t been able to match his performances from last season. One of the reasons behind this is that he has been overplayed at times over the course of the season. Mateo Kovacic is injured, so Chelsea needs one—or both—of Jorginho or Kante to start in the middle of the park. The Frenchman is likelier to get the starting nod, so expect Kante to be included in the starting XI against Arsenal. He’ll do what he does best: dominate.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Central midfielder, England

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the hero against Crystal Palace with his fantastic goal. While the start of his day was dodgy, he grew into the game and opened the scoring for the Blues. His resurgence in the hybrid role on the right has been exciting, and it is terrific to see Tuchel finding a role for the promising Englishman. A section of Chelsea fans has been rooting for Loftus-Cheek since day one, and it is wholesome to see the Englishman realising his potential. It was even more encouraging to see that Loftus-Cheek is not interested in a move away from Chelsea, as reported by various outlets. Expect him to start against Arsenal and show why he bleeds blue!

Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left wingback, Spain

Marcos Alonso was brilliant against Southampton in the Premier League. Time and time again, Alonso has shown that despite his obvious weaknesses, he is the specialist in the position. As Tuchel confirmed in his latest presser, Ben Chilwell will not be playing for Chelsea again this season. Therefore, Alonso’s place in the team is secured in the line-up. This means that the Spaniard will feature against Arsenal, expect a strong performance from him per usual.

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