Preview: Arsenal v Chelsea | Pre-Match Report | News

Having had seven days to savour our latest north London derby day triumph, we return to Premier League action on Sunday with another capital clash against Chelsea (4.30pm).

The sides are well acquainted, as having faced each other in January and February, they kick off March with their fourth meeting of the season, as the Blues seek revenge for us winning both legs of our Carabao Cup semi-final. However, if they’re to gain revenge for the only losses of Liam Rosenior’s 12-game tenure, they’ll have to rewrite the form books.

We are unbeaten in the last 10 meetings in all competitions against the Blues, who haven’t enjoyed their short trips to N5 in recent years. They have come away empty-handed in seven of their last nine games at Emirates Stadium, including each of the last four.

DROPPED POINTS CAUSE BLUES

Since their last visit to Emirates Stadium on February 3, the Blues have remained unbeaten in their four games since, but Rosenior will be unhappy with just five points gained from the last three league games.

Having beaten Crystal Palace in January, a 3-1 success at Wolves recorded back-to-back away wins, but home draws against Leeds United and Burnley, squandering the lead in both, have left them clinging onto a top-five spot by goal difference. Only West Ham United (20) have dropped more points from winning positions in the top-flight than the west Londoners’ 19.

Progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup came at the expense of Rosenior’s former side Hull City by a 4-0 margin to set up a meeting with Wrexham next weekend, while the Champions League last 16 draw pitted them against holders Paris Saint-Germain.

What the managers say

Arteta: “We know the importance of the game, and we know the team we’re going to have in front of us. We just have to prepare in the best way to have the right to win it. As I always say, there’s nothing else you can do. What we did two weeks or two years ago is irrelevant. 

“Every game and context is different, because the players might change and the mood of the team can be in a different state, but what is at stake is different, and we’re prepared.” – every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference

Rosenior: “I want the players to be as physically and mentally fresh as possible. They’ve looked really good in training this week. We need to stay calm and consistent in our process. This club should be in the Champions League, this club is a Champions League club. When I took over, we were eighth. We’re now in the race.

“Whether [Arsenal] compress really high, they have compact shape in the low blocks, they are fantastic defensively, obviously set-plays, they are well-coached and they play very good football as well. They are a very good team and that is why they are in the situation they are in at the moment. It is my job and the players’ job to try to find that weakness and try to enjoy what is going to be a really, really big game on Sunday.”

Team news

Ben White missed the game against Tottenham with a muscle complaint, while Kai Havertz has sat out the last three games as he attempts to recover from a thigh problem.

Mikel Merino remains out with his foot injury, while Max Dowman will build up his fitness with the under-21s after two months out.

Wesley Fofana is suspended after picking up a red card in the draw at Burnley last week, a game that Estevao missed with a hamstring complaint on the eve of the game. He will continue to miss action, as will Marc Cucurella and Jamie Gittens will be out with the same problem as the Brazilian youngster.

Backup goalkeeper Filip Jorgenson has been out for a month. Levi Colwill has been missing all campaign with an ACL injury, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended. However Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo are building up their fitness in training and are close to selection.

Talking tactics

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: It will be fascinating to see if Rosenior replicates the 3-5-2 he deployed in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, or sticks with his usual 4-2-3-1 which sees Cole Palmer or Enzo Fernandez rotate between a narrow wide position and the No.10. However, playing one out-and-out winger, with the other inverted, makes their shape a little lop-sided.

The Blues enjoyed a 55% share of possession on their last visit, and average 58.7% in the Premier League as a whole. When they play out from the back, they prefer to go through central midfield, drawing opponents inside, before switching the ball quickly to the flanks.

No side has a higher xG than the Blues. Fernandez’s late runs into the box are laced with danger, Pedro Neto is quick and direct in the wide areas, Palmer’s left foot must be respected from anywhere inside the final third, and the in-form Joao Pedro, with seven goals in his last nine games, is strong in the air.

However, in our previous three meetings, Chelsea have been shaky when defending set pieces, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez not too confident dealing with in-swinging balls sent into his six-yard box. Will Rosenior leave three players upfield for corners, just as he did in N5 last month? It would aid Sanche,z but may leave the box clearer for our players to attack the ball.

Facts and stats

Chelsea are winless in their last eight Premier League games against us, their longest since a run of 19 between 1995 and 2005.

We have won 17 of our 21 home games across all competitions this season, scoring 51 goals and conceding just 12. We have kept three consecutive clean sheets at home, which a began with a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final second leg.

In his second game in charge in December 2019, Mikel Arteta lost 2-1 at Emirates Stadium against Chelsea. Since then, his Gunners side have lost just one of 15 games against the Blues in all competitions (W10 D4).

We have lost just one of our last 25 Premier League London derbies, a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham last February.

Chelsea have won both of their away Premier League matches under Liam Rosenior. Arne Slot was the last manager to win his first three away Premier League games in charge overall, while the last Englishman was Tim Sherwood at Tottenham in 2013/14.

Chelsea have received six Premier League red cards this season, more than any other club and their joint-most ever in a single season.

Ebere Eze has scored each of his last 11 Premier League goals in London, with all six of his goals this season coming in London derbies. The last Gunners player with more derby goals in a season was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018/19 (7).

Viktor Gyokeres has been involved in 10 goals across his last 12 appearances in all competitions (8 goals, 2 assists), a run that began with a goal and an assist against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup semi-final.

Martin Odegaard has had a hand in seven goals across his last seven league starts against Chelsea (2 goals, 5 assists), with five of those coming in his three starts against the Blues at Emirates Stadium (2 goals, 3 assists). Against no opponent has he been involved in more goals in his Arsenal career, while he’s yet to lose to Chelsea in 10 appearances.

Match officials

Darren England has refereed us eight times so far in his career, and we have won six of those, including both occasions he has overseen us this term – the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in September, as well as the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in December.

This will be the fourth time he has been handed a Chelsea game this term, and they have a win, a draw and a loss in that time. The last saw them beat Crystal Palace 3-1 away in January when the Blues were handed a penalty and Palace were reduced to 10 men – one of two red cards the Yorkshireman has issued in the top-flight this term.

Referee: Darren England
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Akil Howson
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan

Previous visits from Chelsea

We have won our previous three home league games against Chelsea, last winning more consecutively between 1990 and 1994 when we strung together a run of five.

You only have to go back four weeks for the last when a late Havertz goal secured our spot in the Carabao Cup final courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate win in the semi-finals, while nearly 12 months ago Merino was our hero as he headed in the only goal to clinch another single-goal success.

Chelsea’s visit before that one had been a bruising one, as Frank Lampard’s team were swept aside by a 5-0 scoreline, with White netting an unexpected brace, while Havertz helped himself to another pair after Leandro Trossard had opened the scoring.

Live coverage

Live From N5 is back on Sunday, so tune in an hour before kick-off when Nicole Holliday and Jeremie Aliadiere will be in the studio.

Members of our Reddit community will post questions for our Invincible to answer, while we’ll catch up with some of our history-making women’s squad at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

You can test your memory of Arsenal goals from years gone by with Invisigoals, the latest Hero of the Week and Live from N5 Hall of Fame inductees will be revealed, and we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the great community work the club does alongside adidas as part of the No More Red initiative.

Then come kick-off, live commentary will be provided by Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke – so make sure you tune in on the app and website!

You can also find out which broadcaster is showing the action live on TV, wherever you are in the world

Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.