Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates this evening in a bid to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Gunners sit above Liverpool on goal difference but play ahead of the Reds this week, meaning they have the chance to go three points clear.
Mikel Arteta’s side bounced back from a defeat to Aston Villa and elimination from the Champions League by beating Wolves last time out.
They will aim to build on this victory, but it will be difficult as they face the Blues who are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side will also want to hit back after their disappointing FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: Palmer’s paradise
Cole Palmer joined some Chelsea legends with his numbers in his debut season.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PREMIER LEAGUE
The 21-year-old has scored 20 Premier League goals this campaign, including 10 in his last five appearances.
And only three players have scored more in a season for the Blues.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored 23 times in 2000/01 and 2001/02, Frank Lampard scored 22 in 2009/10 and Didier Drogba scored 29 in the same year.
So it didn’t take long for Palmer to write his name into the Stamford Bridge history books.
He is also moving closer to making Premier League history as he is just one penalty away from becoming the sixth player to score 10 penalties in a single season.
- Chelsea lost this exact match 3-1 last season – they have not lost consecutive Premier League away games against Arsenal since a run of three between December 2001 and October 2003.
- Arsenal have lost just one of their last eight Premier League matches against Chelsea (W5 D2), while their current four-match unbeaten run is the longest against the Blues in the league since a streak of 19 consecutive matches between 1995 and 2005.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: team news
Arsenal have the luxury of having no new injuries to their squad ahead of this match.
Jurrien Timber is set to return to action after missing the entire season while Takehiro Tomiyasu is expected to be back after being ruled out of the Wolves clash.
As for Chelsea, Palmer is a major doubt as he suffers from an illness.
Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez are both closing in on a return but Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto are undergoing tests.
Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Lesley Ugochukwu are all continuing their rehabilitation programs.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches (W4 D4), scoring at least twice in each of their last six games. Their last unbeaten streak was longer between January and March 2021 (10).
- Arsenal lost 2-0 to Aston Villa in their last home game – they last lost consecutive league games at the Emirates in April 2022, and last time without scoring in November 2020.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: what was said?
Speaking after Arsenal beat Wolves, Arteta criticized his side’s busy schedule after playing Bayern Munich just days before the clash.
“It’s about the well-being of the players,” he said. “When you compete in a European competition, every team has to compete in the same way.
“You can’t have a team that hasn’t played for seven days, or three days before, and has more recovery time, and then you have to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
“It’s not correct. If you look at it from any angle, it’s not correct. If you want to protect, let’s talk about the players and the protagonists.
“Let’s protect the players and do everything we can to give them as much time as possible to help them recover, perform and put on the show they put on every week.”
- Since the start of last season, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been involved in more Premier League London derby goals than any other player (17 – 8 goals, 9 assists).
- Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has never won a Premier League away game against Arsenal, drawing four and losing three of his seven league trips to the Emirates Stadium with Southampton and Spurs.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: talkSPORT coverage
This Premier League clash will take place on Tuesday April 23.
Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m.
talkSPORT will have EXCLUSIVE live coverage of the match presented by Adrian Durham.
Comments will come from Sam Matterface and former England defender Danny Mills.
Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates this evening in a bid to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Gunners sit above Liverpool on goal difference but play ahead of the Reds this week, meaning they have the chance to go three points clear.
Mikel Arteta’s side bounced back from a defeat to Aston Villa and elimination from the Champions League by beating Wolves last time out.
They will aim to build on this victory, but it will be difficult as they face the Blues who are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side will also want to hit back after their disappointing FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: Palmer’s paradise
Cole Palmer joined some Chelsea legends with his numbers in his debut season.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PREMIER LEAGUE
The 21-year-old has scored 20 Premier League goals this campaign, including 10 in his last five appearances.
And only three players have scored more in a season for the Blues.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored 23 times in 2000/01 and 2001/02, Frank Lampard scored 22 in 2009/10 and Didier Drogba scored 29 in the same year.
So it didn’t take long for Palmer to write his name into the Stamford Bridge history books.
He is also moving closer to making Premier League history as he is just one penalty away from becoming the sixth player to score 10 penalties in a single season.
- Chelsea lost this exact match 3-1 last season – they have not lost consecutive Premier League away games against Arsenal since a run of three between December 2001 and October 2003.
- Arsenal have lost just one of their last eight Premier League matches against Chelsea (W5 D2), while their current four-match unbeaten run is the longest against the Blues in the league since a streak of 19 consecutive matches between 1995 and 2005.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: team news
Arsenal have the luxury of having no new injuries to their squad ahead of this match.
Jurrien Timber is set to return to action after missing the entire season while Takehiro Tomiyasu is expected to be back after being ruled out of the Wolves clash.
As for Chelsea, Palmer is a major doubt as he suffers from an illness.
Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez are both closing in on a return but Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto are undergoing tests.
Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Lesley Ugochukwu are all continuing their rehabilitation programs.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches (W4 D4), scoring at least twice in each of their last six games. Their last unbeaten streak was longer between January and March 2021 (10).
- Arsenal lost 2-0 to Aston Villa in their last home game – they last lost consecutive league games at the Emirates in April 2022, and last time without scoring in November 2020.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: what was said?
Speaking after Arsenal beat Wolves, Arteta criticized his side’s busy schedule after playing Bayern Munich just days before the clash.
“It’s about the well-being of the players,” he said. “When you compete in a European competition, every team has to compete in the same way.
“You can’t have a team that hasn’t played for seven days, or three days before, and has more recovery time, and then you have to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
“It’s not correct. If you look at it from any angle, it’s not correct. If you want to protect, let’s talk about the players and the protagonists.
“Let’s protect the players and do everything we can to give them as much time as possible to help them recover, perform and put on the show they put on every week.”
- Since the start of last season, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been involved in more Premier League London derby goals than any other player (17 – 8 goals, 9 assists).
- Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has never won a Premier League away game against Arsenal, drawing four and losing three of his seven league trips to the Emirates Stadium with Southampton and Spurs.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: talkSPORT coverage
This Premier League clash will take place on Tuesday April 23.
Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m.
talkSPORT will have EXCLUSIVE live coverage of the match presented by Adrian Durham.
Comments will come from Sam Matterface and former England defender Danny Mills.