The race for Champions League football

Last weekend the Blues reclaimed fourth place in the Premier League with a second-successive top-flight win and clean sheet, while the Gunners remain second despite dropping points at Manchester United.

On Wednesday, Mikel Arteta was able to rest some likely starters on Sunday for a Champions League tie with PSV already won in the first leg.

Chelsea’s pursuit of a return to UEFA’s leading competition would be greatly assisted by a third win in six visits to the Emirates Stadium, following Thursday’s progress to a UEFA Conference League quarter-final tie with Legia Warsaw.

Let's head into the break on a high!

With an international break to come and no further FA Cup involvement, this is the Blues’ last action until another huge league derby against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge 18 days later.

Chelsea are in better form over the past four games than Arsenal, but are nevertheless looking to end a run of three successive league defeats on the road.

The two teams split the points at the Bridge in November, Pedro Neto’s first league goal for the Blues cancelling out Gabriel Martinelli’s hour-mark opener in a 1-1 draw.

Team news update

Several players could come back into the starting line-up for this Premier League fixture after sitting out the midweek UEFA Conference League win over Copenhagen, including Reece James, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, who were among the substitutes on Thursday evening.

Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, who are not part of our European squad, are also available to face Arsenal, although Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson are not expected back until after next week's international break.

Sanchez to start

Enzo Maresca has already confirmed one player who will be returning to the starting XI after missing Copenhagen, though, with Robert Sanchez set to replace Filip Jorgensen between the posts at the Emirates Stadium

‘It will be Robert playing against Arsenal,’ said Maresca. ‘I’ve said many times we are happy with both goalkeepers. But sometimes, you have to be flexible.

‘Since we started, the idea wasn’t to change the goalkeeper but you have to be flexible; we do this with the game plan, the way we want to attack and defend, but we also have to be flexible with players.’