Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Arsenal have lost only one league game at the Emirates since April 2024, while Chelsea come into this game winless in their last five league games on the road.

Additionally, Chelsea are winless in their last six head-to-head meetings with Arsenal, so we're backing the Gunners to come out on top here. Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea.

Arsenal take on Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend with the away side amidst a heated race for Champions League football next season.

• Date: 16/03/2025
• Kick-off time: 13:30
• Location: Emirates Stadium, North London

Arsenal are currently 2nd in the Premier League with 55 points from 28 games. The Gunners are coming into this game in the twilight weeks of what has been a very disappointing season. Expected to hotly contest for the Premier League crown after a couple of near misses, Mikel Arteta's side find themselves 15 points shy of Liverpool at the top of the table with ten games left to play. At this stage, Arsenal are fully focused on their Champions League campaign and even if they're not saying it publicly, there'll be an internal acceptance that their league title bid is over.

At the very least, they'll want to hold onto their 2nd placed position in the league, and with Nottingham Forest only four points behind them in the table and in excellent form, the Gunners will know that they're far from certain to finish in the top two.

There is the added incentive of playing Chelsea as a motivator for picking up three points here, given the noted rivalry between the two teams, and they can take comfort from the fact that they've had a very strong record against the Blues in recent seasons. They're the favourites to win this one too, and they'll want to keep their form strong as they prepare for the Champions League quarterfinals.

Chelsea are currently 4th in the Premier League with 49 points from 28 games. The Blues are having a decent season on the whole, but their overall campaign will very much be judged on whether or not they secure Champions League football for next season.

The Blues' performances have been a mixed bag this season, with Enzo Maresca's men starting the season in excellent fashion, with many people considering them title contenders in the opening few months. However, their form has since tailed off, and so have their performances, with the team coming under notable scrutiny from the fans. There has still been some good stuff in recent weeks, but there have been a lot more downs since the turn of the year than there were in the months prior to that, so it will be interesting to see how the team manages to finish the season.

The thing that has stood out above all others of late has been the form of Cole Palmer, which has fallen off a cliff. Palmer has been Chelsea's standout player since the start of last season but his performances have gone incredibly stale of late, and an out-of-form Palmer makes it incredibly tough for Chelsea to be at their best.

There is a significant amount of pressure on Chelsea to reach the Champions League this season as their financial model depends on it, so a three-point haul from a trip to the Emirates would be as good as priceless.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on Sky Sports Main Event.

Arsenal Team News:

Arsenal remain without Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

After resting a number of players in the Champions League in midweek, expect a host of changes for this game.

Predicted lineup: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli.

Chelsea Team News:

The Blues still have a fairly lengthy injury list, with Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto and Marc Guiu still out injured.

Reece James will be pushing for a recall to the starting XI, with the England man potentially coming into the midfield.

Predicted lineup: Jorgensen; Fofana, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Nkunku; Neto.

Arsenal:

Arsenal are fairly out of form on the whole, with the Gunners winning just one of their last five games. During the week, Arsenal drew 2-2 with PSV in a Champions League dead rubber with Zinchenko and Rice scoring the goal, a result that followed a 1-1 draw with Manchester United, where Rice scored a fine goal.

Before that, Arsenal hammered PSV 7-1 away from home thanks to goals from Timber, Nwaneri, Merino, Odegaard (X2), Trossard and Calafiori, a result that came after a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest and a 0-1 loss to West Ham.

Chelsea:

Chelsea's form is decent, with Enzo Maresca's side having won four and lost one of their last five games. In the week, Chelsea beat FC Copenhagen 1-0 thanks to a goal by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, which was preceded by a 1-0 win over Leicester, courtesy of Marc Cucurella.

Prior to that, goals from Reece James and Enzo Fernandez secured a 2-1 win in Copenhagen, a result that was preceded by a 4-0 win over Southampton - thanks to goals from Nkunku, Neto, Colwill and Cucurella - and a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.

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