With the Premier League title race starting to feel at an end, the battle for the remaining top-five spots is starting to heat up as the teams below Liverpool begin to jockey for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Looking to further solidify their second-place spot, Arsenal welcome fourth-placed Chelsea to Emirates Stadium on Sunday with the Blues are in a vicious fight to remain afloat in the chase.
The Gunners saw their way past PSV into the UCL quarterfinals midweek and will want to keep up the momentum as they navigate a difficult second half of the season with a thin attacking unit. They sit 15 points adrift of Liverpool, which feels unreachable even with a game in hand, and are four points clear of third-place Nottingham Forest.
MORE: Stream Premier League matches, including Arsenal vs. Chelsea, on Peacock in USA
Chelsea, meanwhile, sit two points above both Manchester City and Newcastle United in fifth and sixth, and are two back of Forest in a crowded top-five chase.
The Premier League at this point is a virtual certainty to gain five Champions League places next season as one of the top two European leagues on this season’s European performance. Thus, there’s an extra qualifying spot to be given out, although this is not necessarily a huge boost for those involved given the number of teams battling for positions.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Arsenal’s huge win in the Netherlands allowed them to take it easy for the second leg against PSV, with Mikel Arteta able to rotate his squad midweek. That means a number of players, such as William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli, and Thomas Partey, will be well rested for this critical league battle.
Mikel Merino will continue at the striker position with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka still out. Havertz and Jesus are done for the season, but Saka is expected back after the coming international break.
Arsenal predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori — Odegaard, Partey, Rice — Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Injured: Havertz (hamstring), Jesus (ACL), Saka (hamstring), Tomiyasu (knee)
Suspended: None
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Head coach Enzo Maresca has tried all kinds of formations and tweaks in search of any kind of consistency this season, to no avail. He’s moved many players to different positions, with varying degrees of success.
The biggest issue has been in attack, where nobody has been able to adequately replace the injured Nicolas Jackson, including Christopher Nkunku who has been mired in a brutal slump regardless of whether he plays up front or out wide. Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke are also injured, leaving them unavailable as an option, although Guiu should be returning soon.
At different times, Maresca has also tried Reece James in midfield, Trevoh Chalobah at full-back, and Pedro Neto at striker. He’s also rotated in young players Tyrique George, Shumaira Mheuka, and others.
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — James, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Gusto — Caicedo, Fernandez — George, Palmer, Sancho — Nkunku
Injured: Jackson (hamstring), Guiu (hamstring, doubt), Madueke (hamstring), Gusto (knock, doubt)
Suspended: None
Arsenal vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go, Now TV |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema |
