From genuine Premier League title contenders to mere top-four hopefuls, Arsenal and Chelsea meet at the Emirates in an intriguing London derby on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues can move to within three points of the Gunners in the top-flight table by coming up trumps this weekend, although neither side has been pulling up trees on the attacking front.
Mikel Arteta's Gunners have enjoyed their recent duels with the Blues, although they were held to a point by Enzo Maresca's side back in November. A Pedro Neto strike from distance cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli's opener.
That contest arrived before Chelsea embarked on a stellar run which briefly saw them considered title contenders. They've been brought back down to Earth over the past couple of months, with securing a place in next season's Champions League their primary objective for the remainder of 2024/25.
After winning back-to-back league games, Chelsea are fourth with 49 points. They're six points off Arsenal in second, with the Gunners extending their winless run in the league to three games last week as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
Their deficit to league leaders Liverpool is 15 points with just nine games remaining after this weekend. However, they remain in the Champions League and will surely prioritise their quarter-final with Real Madrid next month.
Chelsea have recently been boosted by the return of Wesley Fofana from injury, and the Frenchman is expected to partner Levi Colwill, who didn't feature on Thursday, at the Emirates.
Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, and Reece James are all set for returns to Maresca's team.
The Blues are still without Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, with Pedro Neto likely to lead the visitors' line again. Christopher Nkunku is an alternative. David Datro Fofana, Marc Guiu, and Malo Gusto are likely to miss out.
While Arsenal continue to struggle for goals domestically, they're facing a Chelsea team with a poor recent record in this fixture.
Line Ups.
Chelsea: Sanchez, Fofana, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella, James (c), Caicedo, Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Sancho, Nkunku
Chelsea substitutes: Bettinelli, Jorgensen, Tosin, Chalobah, Acheampong, Gusto, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, George
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard (c), Trossard, Merino, Martinelli
Arsenal substitutes: Neto, Tierney, White, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Nwaneri
The referee is Chris Kavanagh
