Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains uninterested by the other teams in the Premier League's top-four race, insisting it is all in the Gunners' hands.
Arteta's side have lost just one of eight top-flight games since a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at the start of 2022, surging up the table to fourth in the league.
Arsenal are three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have played a game more, as they push for Champions League qualification, with their next fixture coming away at Crystal Palace on Monday.
That means Spurs, Manchester United and West Ham will have all played before the Gunners are in action at Selhurst Park, but Arteta does not see the late game as an advantage over his competitors.
"We're going to focus on what we can do. That's the only thing we can control," he told reporters at Thursday's pre-match news conference.
"Through the TV we can suffer and we can enjoy and there's not much else we can do. What we have to do is win the football matches that we need to achieve what we want and that's all in our hands."
Aaron Ramsdale missed the 1-0 win at Aston Villa last time out, with Bukayo Saka scoring the winner before the teenager withdrew from international duty with England due to COVID-19.
Arteta confirmed Saka has returned to training, but the clash with Patrick Vieira's Palace may come too soon for Ramsdale, who suffered a muscle injury in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool earlier in the month.
"Bukayo is feeling good," he added. "He's training today hopefully if he's still feeling as he was yesterday. Aaron, it's a doubt. He's still feeling not great, he hasn't trained yet so we don't know what he'll be able to do on Monday.
"He wanted to play against Villa but it was a significant injury and he had to take his time and the physios are doing everything they can. We will see more in the next few days when he starts to do real training."
Meanwhile, Takehiro Tomiyasu nears a return from a calf injury that has kept him on the sidelines since early January.
"I think it will be close. He's been training more and more. He has the boys back now, so he will be joining some sessions this week, and let's see how it is," the Spaniard said of Tomiyasu.
The Premier League also announced the reintroduction of five substitutes from the start of next season, a decision that Arteta is glad to see introduced.
"I'm glad that in the end, we have unified the criteria with the whole of Europe," he said on the rule change. "It's now how we do it and how we manage it. There will be some changes because that gives you different opportunities and tactically the chance to make some changes.
"I think the most important thing is that you manage the load of the players much better. Make sure we don't slow the game down too much and I think it's good. It gives the players opportunities to be on the pitch, which is what they want to do.
"The options you are given to change the game, to refresh the game, to change in many different positions which is something you are always restricted to do, and probably the timing of the subs because when you have three the last sub is always in the back of your mind and if you make it too early you can pay the consequences. So that gives you more flexibility."
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Glasner was 'never in doubt' Guehi would stay at Palace
Marc Guehi will be staying at Crystal Palace, with Oliver Glasner having never been in doubt that would be the case.
Guehi, who impressed for England at Euro 2024, has been the subject of multiple offers from Newcastle United.
However, on Friday, just ahead of the transfer window closing, Palace boss Glasner confirmed the defender would be staying at Selhurst Park.
And the Palace boss insists he never held any fears Guehi would join his now former central-defensive partner Joachim Andersen in leaving the club.
"I can confirm [he will stay]," Glasner said ahead of Sunday's clash with Guehi's former club Chelsea.
"But I was never in doubt. Congratulations to our owners because they didn't give in.
"Thank you to Marc, he was always open with me. All the rumours didn't influence his performances.
"He always told me that he's not pushing to leave Crystal Palace and that is always the most important thing for me."
Palace have lost both of their Premier League games this season, while Chelsea go into Sunday's match at Stamford Bridge on the back of a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves last week.
However, the Blues lost 2-1 to Servette in the Europa Conference League qualifiers on Thursday, albeit they still progressed on aggregate.
Despite the defeat, Enzo Maresca is not concerned that Chelsea will be hampered by playing in Europe.
He said: "It is a competition where we are going to try and do our best in.
"I think tonight, once again, the team shows in the way we started that the team was there. Then the game, we concede; they had some chances and we lost a little bit of confidence.
"It's one more competition. We have Conference League, Premier League, FA Cup, the EFL Cup - they are all competitions where we are going to try and do our best and then we will see where we arrive."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea - Cole Palmer
Since the start of last season, Palmer has both scored and assisted a goal in more different Premier League games than any other player (six).
Crystal Palace - Eberechi Eze
Coming into this weekend's games, Eze has been involved in more shots than any other player in the Premier League this season (16 – 12 shots, four chances created) but is yet to register a goal or assist.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea’s 6-2 win at Wolves last time out was the 21st time they have scored 6+ goals in a single Premier League game, with only Manchester City doing so more often in the competition's history (22). However, the last two times the Blues have netted 6+, they’ve lost their next league match (2-4 v Arsenal in April 2022 and 0-5 v Arsenal in April 2024).
Having only lost three of their 13 Premier League games under Glasner last season (W7 D3), Palace have lost both such matches in 2024-25. Only in 2017-18 have the Eagles ever lost their first three matches of a top-flight campaign (first seven).
Palace have lost 80% of their 30 Premier League meetings with Chelsea (W4 D2 L24), the highest loss rate of any side to face another at least 30 times in the competition. Each of their four wins against the Blues have come under a different manager (Tony Pulis, Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson).
Chelsea have won each of their last 13 Premier League games against Palace. Only Man City (a current run of 14 against Bournemouth) have ever had a longer winning streak against an opponent in English Football League history.
The Blues lost 2-0 against Man City in their opening league game of the season at Stamford Bridge – they have not lost their first two at home in a single campaign since 1978-79.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chelsea - 56.4%
Crystal Palace - 21.8%
Draw - 21.7%
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