Arsenal predicted lineup vs Chelsea - Premier League | OneFootball

A huge London derby beckons for Mikel Arteta, with another defeat potentially seeing the Gunners slip into the bottom half of the Premier League table.

It's been an underwhelming start to Arsenal's 2024/25 campaign, but there have undeniably been mitigating factors in their faltering opening. Arteta will hope that the return of captain Martin Odegaard from a six-week injury layoff reinvigorates his team from a creative perspective, although the Norwegian is not likely to start on Sunday.

Arsenal travel across the capital to face Chelsea with the sole aim of igniting their season. They're already seven points behind league leaders Liverpool, and a failure to win at Stamford Bridge could prove fatal for the Gunners' title hopes.

This is a pivotal bout for the manager, and here's the team he could pick on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-3-3)

Declan Rice reportedly broke his toe at Newcastle but could play on Sunday / George Wood/GettyImages

GK: David Raya - The Spaniard hasn't exactly prospered in recent weeks after a tremendous start to the season. He hasn't kept a Premier League clean sheet since the north London derby on 15 September.

RB: Ben White - White returned to the starting XI on Wednesday and is bound to keep his place here. Arsenal's right-back will likely face up against explosive wide man Pedro Neto.

CB: William Saliba - Saliba produced a fine performance in midweek and will be a busy boy in west London given Nicolas Jackson's unrelenting urge to run the channels. The Frenchman's recovery speed will be put to the test.

CB: Gabriel - The Brazilian was back to his assertive best in midweek, with his aggression playing a hand in Arsenal's sustained pressure at the San Siro. It's been a while since he got himself on the scoresheet after scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Etihad earlier this season.

LB: Jurrien Timber - The deployment of the Dutchman at left-back is perhaps not ideal, but Timber is as reliable as they come when he steps onto the field. Riccardo Calafiori remains out of action.

CM: Thomas Partey - Partey is enjoying his best run in the Arsenal team since he joined the club. The midfielder's playing for that new contract, and he's a shoo-in to start on Sunday.

CM: Declan Rice - Reports suggest that Rice is willing to play through the pain at Stamford Bridge despite suffering a broken toe at Newcastle last weekend. Rice scored at this ground last season.

AM: Leandro Trossard - Arteta surely won't deploy the Partey/Rice/Merino trifecta which lacked plenty in the 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, and Odegaard might not be ready for a start after playing a few minutes on Wednesday. Thus, the out-of-sorts Trossard could continue in the XI.

RW: Bukayo Saka - The winger's been shut out in back-to-back games, and Chelsea will undoubtedly have a plan to contain Saka on Sunday. He must be looking forward to combining with his captain again.

ST: Kai Havertz - Havertz's battered and bruised heading into this fixture having sustained a nasty head injury in midweek. However, the German will be desperate to return to his old stomping ground on Sunday.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli - Arsenal need more out of Martinelli, who's has struggled recently to win one-on-one battles down the left flank. Ideally, Arteta would have an alternative to offer the Brazilian some respite but Raheem Sterling is ineligible.