Tonight third-placed Chelsea entertain Arsenal, in fifth, at Stamford Bridge for a match that could prove pivotal in the race for a top-four finish. It is the 205th instalment of London’s most ancient top-flight derby in a week of capital city clashes.

This fixture was originally scheduled for early February but was rearranged because of the west Londoners’ successful Club World Cup campaign. Two months on, it pits the league’s eighth best home performers against its eighth best team on their travels.

The current government licence has restricted the number of home fans present tonight, so it will be down to season ticket holders to bring the noise for the world champions, who are fresh from securing a fifth FA Cup final appearance in six seasons.

There is plenty of motivation for raising the roof. Both teams are locked in second place behind Manchester United on the all-time Premier League table, each with 2,126 points (the Gunners having played one game more). The Blues are also looking to maintain pride of London status by finishing above the Gunners for the fifth consecutive season.

And, having already won at the Emirates and beaten Tottenham home and away, Thomas Tuchel’s men can also complete the north London league ‘quadruple’ for the first time since 2005/06, and only the second in our history.

Chelsea team news

Chelsea can deal a potentially decisive blow in the battle for top four this evening against challengers Arsenal but to do so at a reduced-capacity Stamford Bridge, the Blues must expunge the memory of home defeats to Brentford and Real Madrid and draw on success at Wembley.

The absence of on-loan Conor Gallagher dominated the pre-semi-final hype, but it was the arrival of a past loanee at Crystal Palace, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who initiated their downfall with his first goal for us three years. The versatile 26-year-old has performed consistently well in recent weeks and may start in midfield in Mateo Kovavic’s absence with an ankle injury. Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi should be the only others to miss out.

Mason Mount will be looking to make it four goalscoring matches in a row and Timo Werner, who coolly assisted his team-mate against Palace, could warrant a fourth successive start.

Romelu Lukaku, who was denied a Wembley goal by the post, could be handed a start against the north Londoners’ depleted rearguard. The Blues’ 2-0 victory at the Emirates was secured in the first half, Lukaku sealing his domination of the home defence with an early strike and the formidable raiding Reece James adding a thumping finish past Bernd Leno.

The lively link between Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s usual 4-3-3 may prompt Thomas Tuchel to look at both flanks of his defence, factoring in the workload of older players. The head coach said yesterday that Trevoh Chalobah will see some minutes again soon.

Chelsea have won six of our past seven league games. At the same stage last season the Blues dropped vital points (including to Arsenal) in and around two huge cup finals, almost losing fourth place, and arriving at the Wembley final a little lacking in momentum. The Bavarian will not want history to repeat.

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The Houston problem

Arsenal have found the net twice from their last 73 attempts and have failed to score in 40 per cent of games on the road. Away from home they have notched six goals in second halves, compared to 14 before half-time. Almost two-thirds of their league goals conceded have also come after the break.

Arteta could decide to match the Blues’ expected 3-4-3 formation this evening to improve form, with former Cobham boy Eddie Nketiah leading the line, though the one time he tried that system this season Manchester City ran out 5-0 winners.

The Spaniard will hope to be able to call on Alexandre Lacazette after Covid for some of the game at least, but Takehiro Tomiyasu remains a doubt and regular left-back, Kieran Tierney, is out along with midfield enforcer Thomas Partey.

We have history

Thanks to a comfortable 2-0 at Emirates in August a home win this evening would deliver Chelsea’s first league ‘double’ over Arsenal since 2015/16, and the 11th in our history.

The Blues were unbeaten in eight home meetings with the Gunners going into last May’s 0-1 defeat. Mikel Arteta came to defend with a rigid 5-2-3 formation but Emile Smith Rowe capitalised on Jorginho’s errant back-pass for the only goal of the game.

London’s oldest top-tier rivalry has often seen one party of the other have the upper hand for a decade or more. Between April 1960 and August 1970 the west Londoners only lost twice in 20 fixtures on all fronts but then, from December 1995 to March 2004, won twice in 26 matches. That sequence ended with the famous Champions League quarter-final win at Highbury.

Six-pointer in Champions League race

Aspiring top-four teams Arsenal and Tottenham were found wanting at the weekend, meaning Chelsea (with a far superior goal difference) now need a further 13 points (75 in total) from 24 available to secure a place in next season’s Champions League. Victory tonight would slash that requirement to seven from 21 (72 all-in).

London calling

After winning an all-London FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, Chelsea face successive derbies at Stamford Bridge to complete the set this season, with West Ham the visitors on Sunday. The Blues currently lead the way in neighbourly disputes with six victories from eight.

In the overall table of capital clashes since 1992/93, Chelsea top the north Londoners by 504 points to 489, having played one game more.

Trophy chasers

Chelsea’s win against Crystal Palace secured our first same-season appearances in the FA Cup and League Cup finals since 2006/07, when both pieces of silverware wound up at Stamford Bridge.

Over the 16 seasons from then until now there have only been four in which the Blues have failed to reach a domestic final: 2010/11, 2013/14, 2015/16, and 2012/13 when there was the consolation of a Europa League triumph instead.

Premier League results and fixtures

TuesdayLiverpool 4 Man Utd 0

WednesdayChelsea v Arsenal 7.45pm (Sky Sports)Everton v Leicester 7.45pmNewcastle v Crystal Palace 7.45pmMan City v Brighton 8pm

ThursdayBurnley v Southampton 7.45pm (Sky Sports)