The Premier League gameweek 11 undercard leads up to the main event at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, when Chelsea and Arsenal tussle in a titanic London derby.
Enzo Maresca's side are keeping the Gunners out of the Champions League places by virtue of a superior goal difference, and it was the hosts who coincidentally flexed their attacking muscles in midweek.
Match preview
© Imago
Squaring up a team founded five years after their maiden Champions League victory in 2012, Chelsea subjected Armenian minnows FC Noah to the rudest of rude awakenings on Thursday evening, hitting them for an extraordinary eight goals in the English capital.
One of six teams in the Conference League to have won each of their opening three games, Chelsea's astonishing 8-0 triumph on November 7 unsurprisingly leaves them sitting pretty at the summit on goal difference as they chase the continental crown that has consistently eluded their upcoming visitors.
From rude awakenings to Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Blues needed a touch of Ecuadorian inspiration to avoid losing to the Dutchman's Manchester United side at Old Trafford last weekend, where a Bruno Fernandes penalty came just four minutes before Moises Caicedo's exquisite volley.
One of three teams boasting 18 points from a potential 30 - alongside Arsenal and Aston Villa - the fourth-placed Blues could end the weekend in the top three if they better Nottingham Forest's result against Newcastle United, and Maresca's men now have an eight-game unbeaten home run to protect in all tournaments.
However, the Blues are still yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet at Stamford Bridge this season - going six without one since shutting out West Ham United in May - but Arsenal have hardly pulled up trees on the attacking front in the early period of November.
© IconSport
Whether it was St James' Park or San Siro, the outcome was the same for Arsenal; a 1-0 defeat with little to no offensive inspiration. After succumbing to a brilliant Alexander Isak header versus Newcastle United, it was a controversial Hakan Calhanoglu penalty that made the difference on Wednesday evening.
In some ways, Arsenal's loss to Inter Milan could be described as a game of noughts and crosses; Mikel Arteta's men attempted an astounding 46 crosses at San Siro, but all of them were for nought, as they slumped to their first continental loss of the 2024-25 campaign.
Also reeling from the shock resignation of much-admired sporting director Edu, the Halloween period has indeed been one big horror show for Arteta and co, as a three-game winless run in the Premier League has the Gunners fifth in the table and seven points below leaders Liverpool.
However, not since the 1994-95 season - when most of Arsenal's players were not even born - have the Gunners lost three straight Premier League away games without scoring, and capital clashes are where they excel, as they have won their last six London derbies by an aggregate score of 22-3.
That sequence includes a 5-0 dismantling of Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea in the second half of last season, albeit after they were held to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, although that four-goal stalemate made it five games without defeat at the Blues' West London home for Arteta's charges.
Team News
© Imago
The customary 11 changes were made by Chelsea head coach Maresca in midweek, and Cole Palmer was of course absent after not being selected for the Conference League league phase, but the Blues sensation is also still feeling the effects of Lisandro Martinez's tackle last weekend.
Maresca is keeping his fingers crossed that Palmer - who has been called up to the England squad - will be able to make a swift return to the first XI this weekend, but Jadon Sancho is also touch-and-go with a knock and an illness, while Omari Kellyman (hamstring) is out.
No Premier League player boasts more direct involvements than Palmer's 12 this season - seven of his own and five assists - but Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix both made their case to replace him with braces in the destruction of Noah.
Speaking of influential English midfielders whom their managers are sweating over, Arsenal's Declan Rice - who spent seven years in the Chelsea academy system - is still uncertain for this crunch clash on account of a foot injury, believed to be a broken toe.
It was one in, one out as far as the Gunners' medical team were concerned in midweek, as Martin Odegaard made his long-awaited return from an ankle injury as a late substitute, and Arteta should have no qualms about throwing him back into the XI amid his side's creativity crisis.
Erstwhile Blue Kai Havertz will need a once-over after a nasty clash of heads with Inter's Yann Bisseck on Wednesday, though, while Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) will not be back this side of the international break. In addition, Raheem Sterling cannot face his parent team.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, James; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Jorginho, Partey; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
We say: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal
The less said about Arsenal's attacking play in recent weeks the better, but the importance of Odegaard's return cannot be overstated, as Arteta's side will finally have somebody capable of picking defensive locks again.
A Chelsea side who seldom keep clean sheets at home may therefore have to settle for a point against their London rivals, especially if Palmer is not operating at 100%, although Maresca should certainly be the happier manager if the points are split.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
