Emirates Stadium — London
Referee: D. Mohareb
Team News
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta suffered ankle ligament damage early on in the game with Wigan and will miss the rest of the season. Gibbs will compete for the spot at left-back with Andre Santos.
Laurent Koscielny will return from suspension to partner Vermaelen at the back in place of Djourou.
Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho will all hope to start with
Benayoun and Walcott particularly ineffective last time out. The former
is ineligible to face his parent club anyway so will watch from the
stands.
Probable lineups : Szczesny, Gibbs, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Sagna, Ramsey, Song, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rosicky, Walcott, Persie. (4-2-3-1).
Chelsea
David Luiz pulled up with a hamstring injury in the FA Cup semi-final
with Tottenham and is likely to be out for a couple of weeks. Michael Essien and Fernando Torres could return to allow Mikel and Drogba, who is unavailable, to rest.
Branislav Ivanovic remains suspended in domestic competition, so Bosingwa should continue at right-back.
Salomon Kalou is in favour ahead of Daniel Sturridge right now, but the
youngster was rested against Barcelona and could feature.
Probable lineups : Cech, Bosingwa, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Kalou, Torres, Mata. (4-3-3).
Match Facts
Arsenal have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 home matches against Chelsea in all competitions.
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 9 of Arsenal's last 11 games in Premier League.
Chelsea have scored at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches against Arsenal in all competitions.
Head to Head
Arsenal| Apr 16, 2012 | Arsenal 1 - Wigan Athletic 2 | EPL |
| Apr 11, 2012 | Wolves 0 - Arsenal 3 | EPL |
| Apr 8, 2012 | Arsenal 1 - Manchester City FC 0 | EPL |
| Mar 31, 2012 | QPR 2 - Arsenal 1 | EPL |
| Mar 24, 2012 | Arsenal 3 - Aston Villa 0 | EPL |
Chelsea| Apr 18, 2012 | Chelsea FC 1 - FC Barcelona 0 | UCL |
| Apr 15, 2012 | Tottenham 1 - Chelsea FC 5 | FA |
| Apr 9, 2012 | Fulham 1 - Chelsea FC 1 | EPL |
| Apr 7, 2012 | Chelsea FC 2 - Wigan Athletic 1 | EPL |
| Apr 4, 2012 | Chelsea FC 2 - Benfica 1 | UCL |
| England - Premier League (EPL) | Oct 29, 2011 | Chelsea FC 3 - Arsenal 5 | |
| England - Premier League (EPL) | Dec 27, 2010 | Arsenal 3 - Chelsea FC 1 | |
| England - Premier League (EPL) | Oct 3, 2010 | Chelsea FC 2 - Arsenal 0 | |
| England - Premier League (EPL) | Feb 7, 2010 | Chelsea FC 2 - Arsenal 0 | |
| England - Premier League (EPL) | Nov 29, 2009 | Arsenal 0 - Chelsea FC 3 |
Prediction
After Arsenal's slip up against Wigan, this game could yet be crucial in
the race for third, with a win for Chelsea potentially leaving them 4
points behind the Gunners with a game in hand.
The last 6 league games between the sides have seen 24 goals scored
(Arsenal 9, Chelsea 15) with 8 in the previous encounter this season, so
this should be an open game despite both sides being extremely wary of
what a loss could mean at this stage.
Roberto Di Matteo will no doubt be aiming for fourth at the very least
but the toughest of encounters against Barcelona either side of this
game will certainly take their toll. Arsenal will feel that a win will
leave them too far ahead of the Blues, eliminating a rival for a
European spot from their thinking.
Arsenal 2 - 2 Chelsea
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