Fresh from booking their place in the FA Cup final, Chelsea return to Premier League action on Wednesday as London rivals Arsenal make the short trip to Stamford Bridge.
The two sides are separated by eight points in the table, with third-place Chelsea leading sixth-place Arsenal, who have lost each of their previous three matches.
Putting the seal on it! 😎 pic.twitter.com/8g2OIsMoQT— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 18, 2022
Putting the seal on it! 😎 pic.twitter.com/8g2OIsMoQT
Can the Gunners return to winning ways? Or will Thomas Tuchel’s side cement their place in the top four with a seventh victory in eight Premier League outings?
Chelsea head into Wednesday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals, thanks to goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.
The Blues have now won each of their last three games across all competitions, having thrashed Southampton 6-0 before beating Real Madrid 3-2 at the Bernabeu.
When you look at the bigger picture, Tuchel’s men have lost just four of their previous 44 encounters in all competitions.
Given that Chelsea have avoided defeat at half-time in each of their past 30 Premier League games, Arsenal will likely struggle to gain an early foothold in Wednesday’s clash.
On the flip side, Arsenal suffered their third straight Premier League at the weekend – losing 1-0 to Southampton.
Since the start of April, the Gunners have lost to Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton – conceding six goals while scoring just once in reply.
Mikel Arteta’s side racked up five straight Premier League wins across February and March. However, they have since lost four of their last five outings.
With seven games remaining this season, Arsenal find themselves three points outside the Champions League places. Can they break into the top four?
Head-to-head: It is worth noting that Arsenal have won three of their previous four meetings with Chelsea across all competitions.
Given that six of the last ten meetings between Chelsea and Arsenal have produced over 2.5 goals, we should see a high-scoring encounter on Wednesday.
Team news: Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee for Chelsea, while Mateo Kovacic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are also injury doubts.
As for Arsenal, they look set to be without the injured trio of Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
While Chelsea have won six of their last seven Premier League outings, Arsenal have lost four of their previous five.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Chelsea will claim all three points on Wednesday. Over 2.5 goals are also expected.