Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League last week meaning they will not be playing in Europe next season. But they managed to somewhat overcome that gloom by beating West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Gunners are currently ninth on the league table so that 3-1 win over the Baggies will do very little for their domestic fate but they will surely like to finish this season at a high.
Next up, Arsenal take on Chelsea and given how the Blues have been performing, the North London side could be staring at their 14th loss in the Premier League this campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side are undefeated in their last 5 away matches in the league which will give them some hope but Chelsea go into this match at the back of a 2-1 win over Manchester City so Arsenal will need a lot of vigour to keep the home side at bay and pick up all three points on Wednesday.
Arsenal team news vs Chelsea:
The Gunners are likely to be without David Luiz and Pablo Mari so Rob Holding and Gabriel will pair up in central defence with Kieran Tierney playing in at left full-back.
Calum Chambers seems to be the first-choice right-back as of now and we think Mikel Arteta will keep it that way against Chelsea as well.
Granit Xhaka is another player who is facing a race against time to be fit for the Stamford Bridge game and if he is not ready then Elneny will partner Thomas Partey in central midfield.
Emile Smith Rowe had a very good outing vs West Brom but he was taken off after facing a few hamstring issues. The manager, speaking after the match, was not sure how bad the injury was.
Arteta told the press: “I don’t know[for how long he will be out], he felt something in his hamstring so we took him off.
“Sometimes he cramps and that’s something that’s been happening for a while because he’s still adapting to the league, to the amount of games every three days. Hopefully it’s nothing major.”
Martin Odegaard will come into the side if Smith Rowe is not 100% fit while Nicolas Pepe is expected to keep his place in the starting line-up from the Baggies win.
Bukayo Saka was used as a left-back on Sunday but the youngster will return to his more usual role on the right-hand side of attack, replacing Willian.
Gabriel Martinelli led the line during that 3-1 win but we expect either Lacazette or Aubameyang to come back into the side. Given it’s Chelsea, the manager can also use both Lacazette and Auba in the attacking areas but Pepe deserves another start after his solid performance against West Brom.
Arsenal’s predicted line-up vs Chelsea:
Predicted Line-up: Bernd Leno; Rob Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Calum Chambers; Elneny, Thomas Partey, Odegaard/Smith Rowe; Bukayo Saka, Pepe/Lacazette, Aubameyang.
