Preview Chelsea Vs Arsenal: Bad Record Haunts The Gunners

Arsenal (Instagram @arsenal)

JAKARTA - Chelsea will host their city rivals Arsenal in the Premier League this season. Both face this match after getting different results in the previous match.

The match, known as the North West London Derby between the Blues and Arsenal, will be held at Stamford Bridge, London, on Thursday, April 21 in the morning of GMT+7 (WIB).

In the previous match, Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the FA Cup semifinal last weekend. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta's team suffered a third defeat in a row when they traveled to Southampton.

On the current standings board, Chelsea is still in the European Champions League zone in third position of the standings. Thomas Tuchel's squad collected 62 points or still eight points ahead of Arsenal, who filled fifth place.

Chelsea managed to strengthen their position after a big 6-0 win over Southampton the previous week. Meanwhile, even though they are still in fifth position in the standings, the Gunners still have a chance to win a place in the top four.

Arteta's troops are only three points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur who occupy the last position in the top four. As such, a win against Chelsea is crucial for the visitors as they battle their way to Europe's top tier next season.

Despite being seeded, back-to-back defeats at home to Brentford and Real Madrid can still cause fear in the minds of the Blues. Moreover, Tuchel's squad have won just 50 per cent of their home league games this season.

Statistics show Chelsea it's been 29 years since they last suffered three consecutive defeats at home in all competitions. The third defeat in the list occurred precisely against Arsenal.

Thus, the Gunners need the goddess of fortune to repeat that history in the midst of their form which has suffered a rather worrying decline. Not bringing home points and only scoring one goal in meetings with Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, definitely not a good record when preparing to meet the Blues.

Estimated formation:

Chelsea (3-4-3): Mendy; James, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Werner; Lukaku.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Xhaka, Lokonga; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Martinelli.