Former Celtic forward Chris Sutton has backed Chelsea to improve upon their horrendous Premier League display against Brighton & Hove Albion and restrict Arsenal to a 1-1 draw this weekend.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will travel to Stamford Bridge for their clash with local rivals Chelsea on Sunday (November 6).
The Gunners have won in their last two visits to the Bridge in the Premier League, picking up a 1-0 win in the 2020-21 season followed by a 4-2 victory the last term.
Despite the Gunners’ recent record in west London and stellar Premier League run this season, Sutton could not help but cast doubt over their chances this weekend. Predicting the London pair to play out a 1-1 draw, he wrote in his BBC column:
“Arsenal have won at Stamford Bridge in each of the past two seasons but I am not convinced they will make it three in a row.
“A lot depends on whether Bukayo Saka is fit for the Gunners and how Chelsea boss Graham Potter approaches the game – like one of his predecessors, Claudio Ranieri, he has been a bit of a ‘Tinkerman’ with his team and tactics recently.”
He concluded by stating:
“Overall Potter has done well though, and I don’t think his side will be as bad again at the back as they were against Brighton last time out.”
Mikel Arteta’s leaders have picked up 31 points from 12 games in the English top flight this season, 10 points more than Graham Potter’s sixth-placed Blues. The Pensioners fell to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Brighton in their last league outing while the Emirates outfit bagged a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in theirs.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka should be fit to start against Chelsea
One of Gunners’ leading men this season, Bukayo Saka, picked up a nasty knock in the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest on October 30. The Englishman was forced off after only 27 minutes of play, with fans fearing the worst a mere three weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Alleviating fears, he returned to training ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League clash against FC Zurich (on November 3). Arteta did not name him in the starting XI, but he came off the bench in the 64th minute in the 1-0 victory over Zurich. He appeared to be fully fit, completing a dribble, creating a chance, and winning a couple of duels.
Unless things take a sudden turn for the worse, Saka should be in the starting XI against Chelsea this Sunday. He has featured in all 12 Premier League matches for Arsenal this season, scoring four times and claiming five assists.