Game Week 28 Predictions: Arsenal to beat Chelsea at the Emirates

Premier League preview: Arsenal vs Chelsea at Emirates – Gunners chase title perfection, Blues seek first win in 4 yrs vs rivals. Arsenal to win.

Brothers at war! Bukayo Saka will lead Arsenal out on Sunday against Reece James's Chelsea as both sides lineup at the Emirates to fight for three points. Who will come out tops in this one? (Photo credit: GOAL)

 Arsenal vs Chelsea

Emirates Stadium

5:30pm

Arsenal and Chelsea both avoided the rigour of playoffs in the Champions League, with both learning their respective opponents in the next round of the competition.

The Gunners have an easy path to the semifinal stage of the competition on paper, while Chelsea must contend with teams that have an illustrious record in the Champions League. Arsenal faces Bayer Leverkusen next, while the Blues will negotiate with the holders PSG.

To put things into context, there are five Champions League trophies on Arsenal’s side of the draw, with all five coming from Barcelona, while there are 35 UCL trophies on the left where Chelsea sits. The Blues have it all to do if they must advance from their path.

For this game, Chelsea has it all to do as well. The Blues have not seen the back of the Gunners in four years. They’ve had five managers who have tried in vain; Liam Rosenior has played Arsenal twice already; he lost the two games. Something must change for the Blues on Sunday.

Arsenal knows what to do. Win all your remaining games, and they’re champions for the first time since 2004. Any dropped points at this stage hand the initiative to Manchester City. The Gunners also must win this one to send signals to the rest of their opponents. It’s a must-win game for Arsenal.

Chelsea will leapfrog Liverpool into fifth and move just within three points of Aston Villa in third. The form of Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer could help Chelsea at the Emirates, but they must do better than they did at home against Burnley last weekend, where they were forced to a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal blew Tottenham out of the water in the North London Derby last weekend. The Gunners were ridiculously good, but you can also argue that their hosts were horribly bad. Chelsea will not allow those spaces in the middle of the park; Arsenal must find ways to break the Blues down.

Chelsea will be without Wesley Fofana, who got sent off against Burnley, while Estevao continues to heal from his injury. The Blues could field Trevor Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile. How will they fare against Arsenal’s attack? Chelsea will also be without Cucurella, but Reece James has been passed fit.

For the Gunners, they will need all their players for the run-in. With Arsenal still competing on four fronts, they need all their players for rotation. Kai Havertz and Ben White are both available to join the fold; this will offer Mikel Arteta fresh options.

Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze both tore Spurs apart. Will they be trusted to go again on Sunday? Bukayo Saka remains the leading light, while Declan Rice will be up for it against Moises Caicedo. This is a game to relish this weekend.

Verdict: Arsenal to win.