
It seems that Arsenal don't have all that much to play for during the final quarter of the Premier League season, but they'll want to get another one London rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
The Gunners are 15 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool having had the chance to reduce the gap to five when they faced West Ham at home just three weeks ago. The title is gone, and the buffer is big enough to suggest they won't get sucked into the hotly-contested top-four race.
However, an extension of their unbeaten run could spark concern. "They'll miss out on the Champions League if they're not careful," you can already hear Paul Merson say.
Arsenal haven't lost to Chelsea since 2021, and here's how Mikel Arteta could set his team up for the Blues' visit this weekend.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya - The Spaniard is starting to lose ground on Matz Sels in the Golden Glove race and could do with a shutout to potentially close the gap.
RB: Jurrien Timber - After Ben White made his first start since November on Wednesday, Timber is expected to come back into the side for Chelsea's visit.
CB: William Saliba - Saliba doesn't have the relentless channel running of Nicolas Jackson to contend with, but Pedro Neto's shorter, more explosive bursts. The Frenchman was offered midweek respite.
CB: Gabriel - Some supporters will be questioning if Gabriel needed to play 90 minutes against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday after a heavy workload of late.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - Fresh off his maiden England call-up, the teenager should keep his place in the starting lineup over Riccardo Calafiori.
CM: Thomas Partey - Jorginho got the nod against PSV, but we'll see his fellow impending free agent return on Sunday. Partey was brilliant in the corresponding fixture last season.
CM: Declan Rice - Rice was withdrawn after netting in back-to-back games on Wednesday, and he'll face off against a fellow �100m man in Moises Caicedo this weekend. Both are enjoying excellent seasons, with Rice coming into his own as of late.
CM: Martin Odegaard - Odegaard returned from an ankle injury in the reverse fixture, and there was an expectation that the skipper would light up the division in the aftermath. That hasn't quite happened, with Odegaard enduring a down year this term.
RW: Ethan Nwaneri - Nwaneri wasn't deemed ready for an England call-up just yet, but the 17-year-old is trending in the right direction.
ST: Mikel Merino - Arteta likes a big body leading the line, and although he has another attacking option available, he'll likely retain Merino as his man up top on Sunday.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - Martinelli has come off the bench in Arsenal's two recent outings having recovered from a hamstring injury. He should be ready for a start against Chelsea having scored in the reverse fixture.
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