John Terry certainly knows a thing or two about getting the better of Arsenal, having done so numerous times over the course of his career at Chelsea. And the Blues could certainly do with a centre-back like him these days, as that is a position where they are lacking some world-class quality at this moment.
Defence could prove to be an area of weakness for Chelsea in the derby. They seem to struggle when the backline is put under pressure, especially with aerial balls and set-pieces. And that is one area where this Arsenal team thrives.
Chelsea have been handed one brilliant piece of news heading into the derby though. Cole Palmer is available to face Arsenal, after he was initially expected to miss the game
Terry seems to be delighted by the news of Palmer's return. As reported by The Chelsea Chronicle, he said on TikTok:
"Cole Palmer is back and it’s a massive boost for the football club to have such a top player back involved, but also more importantly for him to get 20/30 minutes in his legs, ready for the rest of the season."
John Terry reacts to brilliant Chelsea news before facing Arsenal
So, it looks like Terry does not expect Palmer to be starting against Arsenal. And to be honest, that would be the right step to take as well.
Palmer has been out of action for about 10 weeks. It would not be wise to give him a start immediately. Chelsea made a similar mistake earlier in the season, playing him three times within the space of a week, which eventually led to that injury against Manchester United.
This time around, they should be careful how they deal with Palmer's return. It has been claimed that he is fit to start. But he should not.
Palmer is an excellent option to have though, who can make an impact off the bench as well. We saw that earlier in the season as he scored against Brentford as a substitute. With how close this game is expected to be, the Blues might need him to do something similar against Arsenal.