Both teams are in poor form having failed to win any of their last four matches.
Arsenal are predicted to beat Chelsea in Tuesday’s Premier League London Derby at the Emirates.
The Opta supercomputer has predicted a 43.7% chance of a victory for Arsenal, who are in dire need of a win to pump new life into their fading Premier League title dreams.
Arsenal are looking for a third successive league win over the Blues, something they have not achieved in nearly 20 years.
The Gunners could be lucky given the game is being held on a Tuesday, having never previously lost a league match against Chelsea in midweek [Tuesday-Thursday], with four wins and six draws in those encounters.
The Blues won this exact fixture at the Emirates last season. Their 2-0 win on the second matchday of 2021–22 came from goals scored by Romelu Lukaku and Reece James. Of the Gunners’ starting XI that day, there’s likely to only be four names in their team this midweek: Rob Holding, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli.
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Ahead of Tuesday’s game, the Blues interim manager says the Gunners’ deserve respect for what they have done.
Holding – who has had a challenging time in recent games - is set for yet another start as William Saliba is not yet fit to take part in the derby.
Meanwhile, just two of Mikel Arteta’s 35 Premier League defeats as Arsenal boss have come against Chelsea, and one was the first he suffered as a head coach in the competition when the Blues beat them 2-1 at the Emirates in December 2019 – just Arteta’s second game in charge.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – a former Arsenal captain who is linked with a move away this summer - scored the opening goal for the North London club that day, while Arsenal’s current midfielder Jorginho scored for his former club Chelsea.
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The Gunners were dethroned after being at the top for the better part of this season.
The probability of an Arsenal win is boosted by the current run Chelsea have endured. Only four complete Premier League seasons have seen the Blues lose more matches than they have already this season (13), and three of those were in 42-game campaigns: 1992–93 (14), 1993–94 (17), 1994–95 (14) and 1997–98 (15).
They have lost all five matches in all competitions since Frank Lampard’s return to the club, and this is their worst losing run since a six-game run in October/November 1993.