Arsenal Stake Title Chase at Stamford Bridge

Not since 1947/48 season had Arsenal had it so good in the English top flight. With 10 wins in 12 matches and sitting on top of the Premier League table, two points above champions, Manchester City, another big test lies in wait for the Gunners this weekend as they take a short trip to Stamford Bridge in a London Derby. Though Chelsea were pummeled last weekend by Brighton, the Blues would be hoping to put their league season back on track against Mikel Arteta’s men

Old foes and former colleagues will reunite at Stamford Bridge on Sunday lunchtime, as Chelsea tackle Arsenal in a mouth-watering Premier League London derby.

Both sides enter the game on the back of continental successes, as the Blues got the better of Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the Champions League, while the Gunners advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Winning in Europe is always the perfect tonic after a demoralizing domestic defeat, especially one which saw Brighton & Hove Albion teach former manager Graham Potter a footballing lesson in a 4-1 Amex romping, but Chelsea were made to work for their success over Dinamo Zagreb.

Electing to name a strong lineup despite already steering his side through as group winners, Potter witnessed Bruno Petkovic steal in and open the scoring after just seven minutes, but Raheem Sterling and debutant Denis Zakaria completed a much-needed turnaround for the Blues in the English capital.

The Blues’ stellar defensive streak under Potter may have been wiped out, but suffering just one defeat in 11 games is far from the worst start for the Englishman, although his side do have some ground to make up in the Premier League table as they lie in sixth position, three points behind Newcastle United in fourth with a game in hand.

It would take results going their way and a 12-goal swing for Chelsea to rise into the Champions League spots this weekend, but Stamford Bridge has been kind to the Blues in recent memory, as they are unbeaten in 12 consecutive matches in all competitions in front of their own fans.

However, Arsenal were the most recent team to overcome Chelsea on their own patch, and Stamford Bridge has been a happy hunting ground for the North London club in recent memory, so taking advantage of their extra 24 hours’ worth of rest will be of paramount importance to Potter and co.

In contrast, Arsenal sought to recover from a European defeat with a Premier League win last weekend, and the Gunners certainly demonstrated a clinical edge that has been absent more often than not recently, putting five past Nottingham Forest without reply even after Bukayo Saka came off injured.

However, the Gunners’ inability to kill games off when a goal to the good reared its ugly head in the Europa League this week, as Kieran Tierney’s sweetly-struck half-volley put Arsenal ahead against FC Zurich, but they nevertheless held on for a nervy 1-0 win which sent them straight through to the last 16.

Avoiding an extra playoff tie against an eliminated Champions League club is a touch of gold for Arsenal, who enter the weekend still two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, but they could be knocked down to second by Sunday if the champions beat Fulham.

All five of the points that Arsenal have dropped in the Premier League this season have come on the road, but they nevertheless remain the division’s best-performing away side this term and have only conceded four goals on rival turf so far – the best record of its kind in the league.

Arteta has led Arsenal to two consecutive triumphs at Stamford Bridge in the last two seasons – with a 2-0 win for Chelsea at the Emirates sandwiched in between – and a new club record could also be set for the Gunners, who are aiming to win three successive Premier League London derbies away from home without conceding for the very first time.

Meanwhile, seeking to extend their winning run at the Etihad Stadium to 15 games across all competitions, Manchester City play host to Fulham in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Citizens currently sit second in the table and two points adrift of leaders Arsenal, while the Cottagers are flying high in seventh place, five points behind the top four.

After securing a slender 1-0 victory away at Leicester City last weekend, courtesy of a stunning Kevin De Bruyne free kick, Man City capped off their Champions League group-stage campaign with a 3-1 success at home against Sevilla on Wednesday.

In what was a dead rubber fixture for the Citizens, who had already qualified for the last 16 as Group A winners, Rafa Mir headed the visitors in front before half time, but 17-year-old Rico Lewis equalised on his full debut -breaking a Champions League in the process – before Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez completed the comeback to keep the Sky Blues unbeaten in this season’s competition.

Indeed, City’s win over Sevilla is the first of four successive matches at the Etihad before the World Cup break, with today’s clash against Fulham followed by next Wednesday’s EFL Cup third-round tie with Chelsea and a Premier League encounter against Brentford.

Guardiola’s men have put together an impressive 14-game winning streak on home soil in all competitions – scoring at least three goals in all but one of those fixtures – and they are unbeaten in their last 18 matches at the Etihad since a 3-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur back in February.

City have already scored 10 goals at home against two newly-promoted teams this season, beating Bournemouth 4-0 and Nottingham Forest 6-0 in August, and they will be confident of more success against Fulham.

The Citizens have won each of their last 12 meetings in all competitions against the Cottagers, and claiming another victory would see Guardiola’s side momentarily climb to the Premier League summit before leaders Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Sunday.