Arsenal will be hoping to keep hold of their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they host Chelsea on Sunday at 4:30pm.
The Gunners go into Gameweek 29 five points clear of second-placed Manchester City. But they have played one game more than their title rivals.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres.
Mikel Arteta’s men have won three of their past five league games and bounced back from two consecutive draws to beat Tottenham Hotspur last time out.
But Arsenal could be under pressure by the time this game kicks off, with Man City having the opportunity to cut the gap to two points on Saturday.
Arsenal team news vs Chelsea
Bukayo Saka came off in injury time against Tottenham with a slight knock. But the Englishman is expected to be fit to start against Chelsea, though Noni Madueke is waiting in the wings if he cannot make it.
Arsenal are in a much better position when it comes to injuries. Mikel Merino is the only guaranteed absentee, with the Spaniard likely to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a foot injury.
Kai Havertz and Ben White could both be available for selection. Although both are likely to start from the bench.
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Arsenal should remain unchanged from their win over Tottenham. Piero Hincapie has kept his place at left-back despite Riccardo Calafiori’s return from injury, and is expected to continue here. He’ll be joined in the backline as usual by Gabriel, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
Arteta will likely play Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi as the double pivot, with Eberechi Eze in the No.10. Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres should finish off the attack.
That means Martin Odegaard will also have to make do in being an option for the bench. But it’s a good option to have should Arteta wish to switch things up.
Arsenal’s defensive worry
Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League this season. The Gunners have conceded 21 goals in 28 games, the fewest of any team. If they go on to win the title, the defence will deserve a lot of credit.
But if Arsenal miss out again, the defence must also take a lot of the blame. Especially for their start to 2026.
Arsenal have been their own worst enemies at times since the turn of the year. The Gunners have made four errors leading to goals in the Premier League in 2026. Only Tottenham (six) have made more. That’s not company you want to keep.
By contrast, Arsenal only made one error leading to a goal in their first 19 league games of the season. They made eight errors leading to shots during that time. That’s increased to 11 across their nine matches in 2026.
And four of the nine goals Arsenal have conceded in the league this year have come from their own errors. They’ll need to sharpen things up at the back.
