Chelsea faces a massive challenge as they travel to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the Premier League. The Blues, who will remain fourth regardless of the result, will be eager to extend their lead over Manchester City, who currently sit fifth. Here are the key talking points ahead of the match.
1. Team selection dilemmas
Injuries to key players have made it difficult for Enzo Maresca to implement his preferred style of play. At the moment, Chelsea does not have a recognized first-team striker available.
However, by deploying Pedro Neto as the central forward, Maresca has adapted to the situation. Despite playing nearly the full match last time out against Copenhagen on Thursday, Neto is expected to lead the line once again.
Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, and Marc Cucurella played only 45 minutes on Thursday, meaning they will be fresher than some of their teammates, such as Moisés Caicedo, who is also expected to start. It will be interesting to see if Roméo Lavia makes the playing 11.
The Belgian is available for selection and was on the bench last week against Leicester City. Before his injury, he was a vital player during Chelsea’s strong run of form.
The same can be said about Wesley Fofana. He played 73 minutes last Sunday and is expected to start. If he is deployed at center-back instead of as a makeshift right-back, it would allow Reece James to play in his natural right-back role.