Ten matches into the Premier League season, Arsenal's hopes of ending their long wait for a league title are already in danger.
Last week's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United made it just seven points from five games, and they now trail leaders Liverpool by seven points.
Injuries and suspensions have taken their toll on Arteta's men, and things do not get much easier for them on Sunday, against a Chelsea team currently above them on goal difference.
Enzo Maresca's Blues fought back to draw 1-1 with Manchester United last time out, and only Manchester City and Liverpool have beaten them since the Italian took over.
We delve into the Opta data to preview Sunday's headline fixture at Stamford Bridge.
What's expected?
Given the two sides are only separated on goal difference ahead of Sunday's match, the Opta supercomputer finds it difficult to split.
Across 10,000 pre-match simulations conducted by the supercomputer, Arsenal were victorious in 41.2%, giving them a slight edge over their hosts, who are a 33.2% shot.
The likelihood of a draw is rated at 25.6%, but you sense Arsenal need to take all three points after seeing their hopes of winning the title drop to 4.4% in Opta's season predictions. Chelsea's own hopes are rated at 0.3%, with City (61.9%) still clear favourites ahead of Liverpool (33.4%).
Chelsea have won just one of their last nine Premier League games against Arsenal (two draws, six defeats), a 2-0 away win in August 2021. The Gunners have managed three victories in their last four league trips to Stamford Bridge (one draw) – as many victories as they recorded in their previous 20 visits (seven draws, 10 defeats).
Arsenal have also won their last six Premier League London derby matches by an aggregate score of 22-3, winning six of those matches by five or more goals.
One such occasion was a 5-0 rout of Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium last April, their biggest-ever margin of victory against the Blues in all competitions.
Blues eye statement victory
When the Premier League fixture list was drawn up, even the most optimistic Chelsea fan may have struggled to visualise the Blues sitting ahead of Arsenal in the table after 10 games.
But Maresca's side have shown promising signs in the early stages of his tenure. Chelsea's last two Premier League defeats this season have come against last season's top three teams – 0-5 versus Arsenal in April, 0-2 versus City in August and 1-2 against Liverpool in October.
They are unbeaten in their last 21 matches against all other teams, winning 14 and drawing seven while scoring 57 goals in total across those games.
The future looks bright for Chelsea, who fielded a starting lineup with an average age of 23 years and 96 days at Old Trafford last week – their youngest-ever XI for a Premier League match against Manchester United.
However, they are still waiting on a first statement win under Maresca, and getting one over on the Gunners would earn him plenty of goodwill among the fans.
Their chances could be decided by the fitness of Cole Palmer, who is an injury doubt after suffering a knock against United.
He opened the scoring when the Blues last welcomed Arsenal to west London for a 2-2 draw last October, scoring his first Premier League goal at Stamford Bridge.
Since then, he has more home goals in the competition than any other player (21), also leading the way for goal involvements (12 – seven goals, five assists, alongside Mohamed Salah) and open-play chances created in 2024-25.
Can fit-again Odegaard get Gunners firing?
Last season, Arsenal won 42 of their 89 Premier League points on their travels, taking nine points from five matches at the homes of their Big Six rivals.
This campaign, however, their failure to hit top form on the road has threatened to end their latest title tilt before it truly got going.
Arsenal have collected seven points from five away matches this term, the same amount as Brighton and fewer than Liverpool (13), Nottingham Forest (11), Chelsea, City and Aston Villa (all 10).
While Arteta has long preached the importance of control, Arsenal have simply not been good enough going forward in those matches. They have attempted just 37 shots on the road in the Premier League this season (7.4 per game), with only Brentford (seven) averaging fewer per away match across the entire division.
The fact Arsenal played significant amounts of time at Manchester City and Bournemouth with a numerical disadvantage likely plays a part, but the fact five teams have attempted at least twice as many shots on the road does not make for good reading (Manchester City 90, Tottenham 83, Crystal Palace 79, Bournemouth 78 and Manchester United 74).
Martin Odegaard's return to training after two months out with an ankle injury is a major boost, with the Norwegian having led all players in the Premier League for expected assists (11.17 xA) and chances created from open play (88) last season.
Arsenal have actually outperformed their underlying attacking metrics this campaign, netting 17 league goals from 15.75 expected goals (xG), so their finishing does not appear to be an issue. The fact they rank eighth in the league for xG does, however, suggest chance creation is a problem.
Arteta will hope Odegaard's return can make the difference, or a title challenge may prove a bridge too far. The last time they lost three successive away Premier League games was in December 2021, and they went on to miss out on a top-four finish that season.
The Norwegian was a late substitute as they were beaten 1-0 by Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday. They have now lost three of their last six games in all competitions, as many as their previous 32 beforehand.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea – Nicolas Jackson
Since the start of last season, Chelsea striker Jackson has been involved in more London derby goals than any other player in the Premier League (10 goals, two assists).
All of his 12 involvements have come in his last nine such appearances, and he already has six Premier League goals this term.
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Saka has provided more assists than any other player in the Premier League this season (seven).
He has also either scored (once) or assisted (twice) a goal in each of his last three away games against Chelsea in the Premier League, with Sergio Aguero (2013 to 2017) and Javier Hernandez (2012 to 2018) the only visiting players to do so in four consecutive appearances.
STETHS end title drought with 3-1 Ben Francis Cup win over Clarendon College
St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) celebrated their seventh hold on the ISSA/Wata Ben Francis Cup in commanding fashion after defeating dethroned daCosta Cup champions Clarendon College 3-1 in an entertaining final at the National Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaieem Lewis (27th), Henry Johnson (45+2), and substitute Jordan Blake (90+3) ended an eight-year title drought for the Santa Cruz-based institution. Their last triumph came in 2015, when they secured a memorable double, winning both the daCosta Cup and the Ben Francis Cup.
This latest success adds to a decorated history in the competition, with previous titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Meanwhile, Justin Hayles (69th) pulled one back for Clarendon College, who finished the season empty-handed for the first time in recent memory.
Winning coach Omar Wedderburn is optimistic that this title win is the start of their resurgence for even greater ambitions in the seasons ahead, as it serves as a reminder of their rich legacy in schoolboy football.
“It feels incredible to finally bring this title back home; we came here today with a lot of heart, so we are really happy. It is almost a decade now since we won anything at STETHS, and I think this is the way to start. We have to creep before we walk, and this is our creeping right now because we have great plans for next year, and this will motivate our programme going forward,” a jubilant Wedderburn said post-match.
STETHS entered the contest with purpose, but it was Clarendon College who initially looked more threatening in the early exchanges.
In the 10th minute, Dameon Simms had an opportunity for the Chapelton-based Clarendon College deep inside the box, only to be denied by Johnoi Steadman in goal for STETHS.
The Santa Cruz outfit began asserting themselves shortly after, with Lewis narrowly missing the target in the 16th minute. STETHS appeared to have broken the deadlock in the 24th minute when Justin McPherson found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled offside.
Still, persistence paid off three minutes later, as Dantay Hewitt's pass found Lewis in the box, and the Trinidadian comfortably slotted home from close range to give STETHS the lead.
Right before halftime, Joshaine Beecher’s dynamic run on the break set up Johnson, whose perfectly timed overlapping run ended with a clinical finish past Clarendon College’s goalkeeper Marco Thompson to put STETHS 2-0 up at the break.
Clarendon College came out with renewed vigour on the resumption, with Justin Hayles forcing two strong saves from Steadman a few minutes in.
The pressure eventually yielded results in the 69th minute when Antwon McDonald was brought down in the box, and Hayles calmly converted the ensuing penalty to reduce the deficit.
Clarendon College continued to press for an equalizer, but Steadman remained resolute, denying Dusean Petgrave in the 76th minute to maintain STETHS’s advantage.
Though still in charge in the dying moments of the contest, STETHS showcased their composure and teamwork with a fluid sequence involving four or five passes. Substitute Blake capped off the well-worked build-up with a curling left-footed shot past the diving Thompson to seal the 3-1 victory.
Clarendon College’s Technical Director, Lenworth Hyde, expressed a mixed bag of emotions at the outcome.
“Such is the game; this year we have been in an out with players; we lost a lot of our players last year and brought in some new players this year. After we got knocked out of the daCosta Cup, we cut the squad again and brought up some Under-16 players to play as we build for next season. I think we tried, but STETHS was just quicker than us, and we didn’t make use of our chances,” Hyde said.
Over $1 million in cash and prizes up for grabs at Pocket Rocket Foundation's Six- A-Side Football Finals on Sunday
The grand finale of the Pocket Rocket Foundation Six-A-Side ‘Peace Through Sports’ Football Competition is set for Sunday, December 8, at the Red Stripe Sports Complex, 214 Spanish Town Road in Kingston.
After a thrilling set of semi-final matches, Medley Mixers advanced with an impressive 3-0 victory over Legacy, while Friends for Real edged out Legend 1-0 in a hard-fought contest.
Now, the two teams will battle for the championship title in what promises to be an exciting end to the tournament.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, founder and chairwoman of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, shared her excitement.
“These past few weeks have been amazing. We have achieved some incredible milestones this year—having the most teams ever in the competition and welcoming our first female player. The games have been intense, but what stands out is the sense of togetherness and community. As the competition wraps up, I am really looking forward to seeing what these teams bring to the finals. It has been such an inspiring journey, and Sunday is going to be a great way to close it all out.”
The closing ceremony will include the presentation of the Championship Trophy, along with cash prizes of $300,000 for the first-place team, $200,000 for the second-place team, and $100,000 for the third-place team.
There are also over $500,000 in prizes for Individual awards for Top Goal Scorer, Best Defender, and Most Valuable Player will also be presented, and participation medals will be awarded to the top three teams.
The event begins at 2pm with an exhibition match between the Hunts Bay Police and GraceKennedy, followed by the third-place playoff between Legacy and Legend at 2:40pm.
The culminating match for the championship title kicks off at 3:30pm between Medley Mixers and Friends for Real.
The competition, now in its ninth year, continues to make a significant impact by fostering peace and unity in the Waterhouse and surrounding communities. With strong support from the Hunts Bay Police, the tournament has helped to create a safe and respectful environment for players, spectators, and supporters.
“For us, this tournament is about building bridges within the community. It gives people a chance to come together in a positive way, promoting unity and creating stronger bonds. The Hunts Bay Police Station is proud to support something that has such a meaningful impact, and we are looking forward to enjoying the finals on Sunday with everyone,” shared Superintendent Damion Manderson.
This year’s tournament has been the largest yet, with 20 teams participating in 36 games over several weeks.
The Six-A-Side competition is sponsored by NIKE, AFIMI, Grace Foods, GraceKennedy’s 876 Water and Lucozade, FESGas, Rymax Lubricants, Dollette and Ken, and Sanmerna Paper Products.
United boss Amorim defends Fernandes substitution in defeat to Forest
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim defended his decision to take off captain Bruno Fernandes as the hosts suffered a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Nikola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood scored as Forest inflicted a second straight defeat on Amorim's side in the Premier League.
Fernandes was one of the better players for United on the pitch and scored their second goal in the 61st minute to set up a tense finish to the game.
But the Portugal international was substituted in the 75th minute, with Mason Mount replacing him as United failed to find inroads into the Forest defence.
"Bruno was too tired and I wanted Mount to play that position of second midfielder who opens a bit on the left," Amorim told Sky Sports after the game.
"Joshua [Zirkzee] plays with Rasmus [Hojlund] to have combinations, [Leny] Yoro goes off because we can't give him too many minutes.
"We put Harry Maguire on because of set-pieces, to control more who was winning all the first balls, the only way to attack Nottingham was transitions, to try and win first and second balls. When Harry was on the pitch, he won all the first balls."
Fernandes was also denied by the woodwork from a free-kick in the first half as United dropped to 13th in the table. They were also beaten 2-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
"It's not a surprise because we come in the middle of a lot of games," said Amorim.
"It's really disappointing for the fans, after so many times with disappointment, but we are here to do a job and will continue doing the same things to improve the team."
Meanwhile, their opponents moved to fifth place with another impressive victory and are now only two points behind champions Manchester City above them.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have won seven matches and drawn and lost four apiece to collect 25 points from 15 matches.
Forest scored inside two minutes in both halves at Old Trafford to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City during the midweek.
"The belief of the players, believing every action is important [to scoring early goals]. The beginning of the second half was very good for us too. Composure was good. The team is growing, and improving. We still have things to address but it's nice," Nuno told BBC Sport.
"It's very important always to bounce back after a bad result. We didn't have a bad performance against City. Fresh leg made a difference during the game."
While United face City in their next Premier League outing, Forest welcome Aston Villa in their next outing.
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