London derby: Without Palmer, can Chelsea stun title-chasing Arsenal?
Arsenal welcomes Chelsea on Tuesday night , who are currently in the middle of the league, to the Emirates Stadium for a premier league midweek London derby.
If Arsenal wins, they will move four points clear of Manchester City who currently sits at the top of the league
After losing to Aston Villa earlier this month, it appeared as though Mikel Arteta’s team had lost the Premier League title race, but the Gunners can put pressure on the chasing leaders.
Their win over Wolves was a fantastic reaction to both their Champions League elimination by Bayern Munich and their loss to Villa.
Arsenal must not give up in the final stages of another outstanding campaign, even though it’s hard to ignore City given their slim lead in the standings.
The only way the Blues can currently get into Europe is if they win the Premier League. Before defeating Everton 6-0, Mauricio Pochettino’s men made a slight impression on Saturday during their FA Cup semi-final loss to City at Wembley.
ARSENAL VS CHELSEA TIME AND VENUE
Kick-off date is Tuesday 23th April, 2024.
Kick-off time is 8pm WAT
Venue is Emirates Stadium
Referee will be Simon Hooper
ARSENAL VS CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
The only Gunners player with a guaranteed absence is Jurrien Timber, who is almost ready to play again after suffering a major knee injury in his debut. Takehiro Tomiyasu could be back in the lineup following a knock, and Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli are the best options to get into the starting lineup, though there will probably be some rotation.
Palmer is a confirmed doubt because of illness, despite Pochettino’s denials that the top player is injured.
The game might have come too soon for Christopher Nkunku, but he is almost there.
Along with Levi Colwill, Robert Sanchez is also nearing a return. Ben Chilwell is out, as is Malo Gusto. Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia are long term absentees.
ARSENAL PREDICTED STARTING LINE-UP:
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
CHELSEA PREDICTED STARTING LINE-UP:
Petrovic, Disasi, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Gallagher, Sterling, Jackson.
ARSENAL VS CHELSEA PREDICTION
Winning an injury-ravaged Wolves might not be yet enough to show that Arteta’s men are back in the title race.
Arsenal still appears worn out, and Chelsea will be eager to undermine their title challenge. Palmer’s absence is obviously a huge blow, but the Blues have generally performed well against more effective teams this season and were able to produce a hatful of chances against Man City on Saturday.
However, the Blues haven’t played well away from home this year and Arsenal might not need to be at their best to defeat a terribly unreliable team
Prediction: Arsenal to win 2-1
