On Sunday Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea will head north for a trip to the Emirates that promises to be an enthralling encounter.
The Blues have Romelu Lukaku itching for his second debut, while Arsenal have started the season poorly, but predicting this one isn’t as easy as it seems due to their poor opening match.
Chelsea got off to an impressive start last week, brushing aside a new look Crystal Palace with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Many already fancied them for the title this year and they’ve done little to harm those chances so far.
The big news coming out of Stamford Bridge this week is that new record signing Lukaku is available to play on Sunday, which is a huge boost for the Blues.
Chelsea badly missed an out-and-out goalscorer last season – according to FBref they registered an xG of 64 but managed just 56 goals. If Lukaku can hit the ground running, this could be a long afternoon for the Arsenal defence.
There’s a great deal of positivity coming out of West London at the moment, but the same cannot be said for North London.
More from Premier League
- Barcelona identify Newcastle star as Robert Lewandowski replacement
- Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta confirms “rapid” attacker suffered injury
- “600 days” Fans make SHOCK Chelsea revelation – They really are poor
- Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta rivals Manchester United for wonderkid
- Manchester United: Erik ten Hag pinpoints 4 players amid Brighton loss
The Gunners got off to the worst possible start in the opening fixture, losing 2-0 to newly-promoted Brentford. And yet it would be dangerous to write them off completely, particularly with their new signings.
Arsenal did the double over Chelsea last year and always seem to find a little extra when they come up against their London rivals. Incredibly, in the previous fourteen games between these two, Arsenal have lost only three times.
Despite beating the Blues twice last year, I can’t see Arsenal extending that record this weekend. It won’t be as easy as many are predicting, but Chelsea have too much quality to lose this one again.
Lukaku will be a big boost for the away side, while their defence is looking stronger than ever. I’m predicting a 2-0 Chelsea win, with both goals coming in the second half.