Arsenal will look to bounce back from an opening Premier League defeat when they take on London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 18 August 2018, kick-off at 18h30 CAT.
Arsenal’s new era under coach Unai Emery got off to a disappointing start this past weekend, as goals from Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva saw champions Manchester City claim a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
The Gunners struggled to find a new identity and were unable to get the best out of their attackers, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan struggling to assert themselves. Emery will want a stronger showing from the triumvirate as they look to avoid a second successive defeat.
Chelsea’s team is also under new management, with Italian Maurizio Sarri’s debut in the English top flight ending in a comfortable 3-0 away win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday. N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro all scored to showcase a more open and attacking style.
Yet the Blues will know that Arsenal carries a much greater attacking threat than Huddersfield, and they will need discipline from their midfield and hope that the central defensive axis of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger is not as easily bypassed as was the case against Manchester City in the Community Shield earlier this month.
Chelsea v Arsenal – Head-to-head, Premier League
In head-to-head stats, Chelsea and Arsenal have met in 52 Premier League matches. The Gunners have claimed 19 wins compared to 17 for the Blues, while 16 games have been drawn.
The teams’ most recent meeting in the Premier League was a 2-2 draw at the Emirates in January this year, with Jack Wilshere and Hector Bellerin netting for Arsenal, while Chelsea’s goals were scored by Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso.
Their last game at Stamford Bridge was a goalless draw in September 2017, but with such attacking potency set to be fielded on Saturday a repeat of such a stalemate seems unlikely. Chelsea, with form and home advantage on their side, start as the favourites to claim all three points.
Matches played 52
Chelsea wins 17
Arsenal wins 19
Draws 16
Chelsea v Arsenal – Last five Premier League meetings
3 January 2018 – Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea
17 September 2017 – Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
4 February 2017 – Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal
24 September 2016 – Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea
24 January 2016 – Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea