Chelsea vs Arsenal: Star-studded combined XI featuring
It has been a contrasting start for London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal this season. Chelsea put Huddersfield Town to sword in their season opener last weekend, while Arsenal lost 2-0 at home against defending champions Manchester City.
So on Saturday, Arsenal will be eyeing their first points of the Premier League season when they travel to Stamford Bridge.
Both Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri have plenty of decisions to make ahead of the match on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Team News
Arsenal’s squad are currently decimated by injuries. Both Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are sidelined, however, Nacho Monreal is fit and is in contention for a start against Chelsea.
Laurent Koscielny is out with an achilles problem.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have their injury concerns too. Mateo Kovacic is a doubt after being left out of the match day squad against Huddersfield, while Cesc Fabregas is recovering from a knee injury.
Eden Hazard is expected to come back into the starting XI, having enjoyed a cameo role in the 3-0 victory over Huddersfield.
Combined Chelsea vs Arsenal XI
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Petr Cech (GK)
Cech suffered a tricky start to the season during the defeat to Manchester City but will line up against his former club on Saturday.
Cesar Azpilicueta (RB)
One of the first names on the team sheet, Azpilicueta will look to provide width and combine well with Willian.
Antonio Rudiger (CB)
Rudiger appears to be Sarri’s first-choice centre-back and enjoyed a solid outing in the 3-0 win over Huddersfield.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB)
Sokratis looked shaky against Manchester City, however, Emery is likely to stick with the experienced Greek defender.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (LB)
Lichtsteiner looks set to get the nod at left-back ahead of Monreal at Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho (CM)
Capped a fantastic debut last weekend with a cool penalty. Jorginho is a sure starter against Arsenal.
N’Golo Kante (CM)
Jorginho’s arrival at Chelsea has provided Kante the licence to roam and the Frenchman will look to dictate the tempo of his side’s attack against the Gunners.
Eden Hazard (LW)
Under Sarri, Hazard will have all the space and licence to influence games. After his lively cameo against Huddersfield, the Belgian is almost certain to start in the London derby.
Willian (RW)
Blessed with explosive pace and trickery, Willian has the ability to unlock any defence on his day. He looks settled and seems ready to perform under Sarri.
Read more: Tactic Talk: Maurizio Sarri’s set-up at Chelsea – How similar is it to Napoli?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (CAM)
Mkhitaryan was off-colour in the defeat against Manchester City but will be itching to start the game at Stamford Bridge. If played in the No.10 role behind Aubameyang, the Armenian can be a devastating player to handle.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST)
Aubameyang started up front as a lone striker against City and regardless of doing very little, the Gabonese gets the nod ahead of Morata and Lacazette.
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