Arsenal vs Chelsea predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable line-ups
Premier League title contenders Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City play on consecutive nights this week as the rivals make their next moves in the championship race.
Arsenal begin the week in first place thanks to a goal difference that is eight superior to Liverpool’s but champions Manchester City are just one point behind the leading pair with a game in hand.
The Gunners bounced back from their successive defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves at the weekend, while Chelsea missed a golden opportunity to beat a below-par City in their FA Cup semi-final, losing 1-0 at Wembley.
The big match at the Emirates Stadium kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday, April 23rd and will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports.
Palmer doubtful for trip to the Emirates
Cole Palmer has been the shining light in Chelsea’s disappointing season but the England star is doubtful to make the trip across London on Tuesday.
The former Manchester City youngster missed Monday’s training session due to illness and manager Mauricio Pochettino did not sound positive about his chances of making the game when he addressed the media on Monday afternoon.
“We will assess him in the morning. Today, no I don’t believe he can be involved but we will assess him tomorrow. Even if he is good tomorrow, maybe he’s not in a condition to play. Hopefully, he can recover as soon as possible,” said Pochettino.
Palmer is joint-top in the Premier League goal charts with Erliing Haaland, having scored 20 goals and provided nine assists in his first season with the Blues. He scored four goals in the 6-0 home win over Everton last week and has netted 11 times in his last seven games.
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Arsenal vs Chelsea Team News
Aside from the worry over Cole Palmer, Chelsea could also be missing defender Malo Gusto, who was added to their list of injury doubts after going off late in the match against Manchester City due to a knee injury.
Fellow full-back Ben Chilwell is also being monitored while Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Reece James remain sidelined.
Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez are also unlikely to feature but Raheem Sterling is in contention to start.
Cesare Casadei is available for selection again after being cup-tied for the Blues’ trip to Wembley on Saturday and could be an option for Pochettino coming off the bench.
Jurrien Timber is the only confirmed absentee for Arsenal, but he is set to play for the club’s Under-21 team this week as he gets closer to returning to first-team action.
The Gunners made three changes for their game at Wolves with Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior coming into the side.
Gabriel Martinelli could be back in the line-up for Tuesday’s match, with Trossard likely to keep his place after his goal at Molineux.
Arsenal vs Chelsea Predicted XIs
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Odegaard, Trossard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Thiago Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Gallagher, Sterling, Madueke; Jackson.
