League leaders Arsenal host London rivals Chelsea on Sunday (11am ET on NBCSN and Telemundo in the US) as they aim to avenge a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last September.
The Blues no longer have Jose Mourinho in the dugout which should be a pleasant sight for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as they had an appalling 0.0% win percentage in league games against the Blues with the Portuguese manager in charge. Plus, Arsenal hasn’t scored a goal against Chelsea in league play in over 8 hours.
However, Guus Hiddink poses a huge threat as he was responsible for Arsenal’s biggest home defeat at the Emirates back in 2009 (a 4-1 trashing).
Chelsea have not lost to Arsenal in the league since 2011 and will be hoping to continue that impressive record here. They scrapped a 3-3 draw last weekend at home to Everton which saw them remain 14th on the table but they must put in an improved performance if they hope to get anything from the Emirates.
Arsenal are many people’s favorites to win the league this year and they have been able to live up to that tag so far by beating closest rivals Leicester City and Manchester City.
Beating Chelsea will further underline their title credentials but it’s not going to be easy for them as the Blues are looking much more resilient under Hiddink since he took over last month and they will likely adopt the same cautious strategy they used against Manchester United last month which resulted in a 0-0 draw.
Team News
The big news for Chelsea is that Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are set to start after recovering from various injuries.
Hazard should replace Pedro on the left, otherwise expect an unchanged starting XI from the side that drew against Everton last week.
For the hosts, Alexis Sanchez could be back in the side for this one after two months on the sidelines. Mesut Ozil should also be fit enough to start but Jack Wilshere remains out due to a calf problem.
Predicted Lineups
