Chelsea v Arsenal LIVE: Team news and line-ups as Cole Palmer and Martin Odegaard start Premier League clash

There’s an example some modern coaches use to show a team that has run out of ideas: it is when they start swinging in crosses, repeatedly, to no effect. Arsenal tried that 46 times against Inter on Wednesday. It isn’t quite the 81 that David Moyes’ Manchester United attempted in the case study example against Fulham in February 2014, but it’s clearly a problem.

Three defeats in six isn’t even the team’s worst run in the last year, but the issue is that it feels like there is something deeper going on. The jubilant excitement about Mikel Arteta’s time, stretching back to the summer of 2022, has abruptly transformed into anxiety, manifesting in an impotent frustration on the pitch. It just isn’t happening for Arsenal right now. It’s all so forced. Headlines about issues the surprise departure of sporting director Edu then become even more consequential, fostering a sense everything is going wrong.

Arsenal have 18 points after 10 matches, compared to 27 points in 2022/23 and 24 in 2023/24 when they were in contention to challenge for the title.

That is the same amount of points as Chelsea with the winner of today’s game jumping into the top four in the Premier League.

Chelsea have lost just once in nine Premier League matches since their defeat on the opening weekend. They have won five and drawn three of the games during that run.

Mikel Arteta says he is ‘really impressed’ with the job Enzo Maresca has done at Chelsea this season.

He spoke about his opposite number and said: “I’m really impressed about what [Enzo Maresca’s] done, but what they’ve done over a year because with Mauricio [Pocchetino] the last six months were extraordinary.

“You could see the squad, the quality they have, the amount of players they have and then Enzo has given his touch and you can see clearly what he wants to do. I think he’s been really brave from day one to consistently follow what he wanted to do.”

So Chelsea’s team is about as strong as it can be, with Cole Palmer passed fit after a knock last week. Jadon Sancho has failed to make the bench but wouldn’t have started anyway.

Mike Arteta is boosted by the availability of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, after recent foot and head injuries respectively. Martin Odegaard came off the bench against Inter Milan in midweek, and comes in to the first XI here for his first start since August.

Cole Palmer and Kai Havertz both start!

Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo (c), Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

Subs: Jorgensen, James, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Veiga, Fernandez, Joao Felix, Mudryk, Nkunku.

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Rice; Saka, Odegaard (c), Martinelli; Havertz.

Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.

Confirmed line-ups are moments away…

Mikel Arteta was honest in his assessment of Arsenal’s downturn in form and says that not winning games is starting to affect the mood of his squad.

The Arsenal boss said: “When you don’t win it affects the mood and energy but the positive thing is that it is impossible that anyone in this room or outside wants to win more than I do, and these guys in the dressing room want to do.

“I had a meeting with them about it and I can sense it straight away.”

“Everyone in the squad is going to be fit and available to start the game,” Arteta said ahead of today’s clash with Chelsea. “Then it will be a decision whether it’s too early or the right moment to make that step again.

“We have to wait until tomorrow to see how [Havertz and Merino] react. Kai was a nasty cut and we had to take him off. Mikel, since the day before, wasn’t feeling great and we decided to sub him at half-time.”

“I have to be vague on that one because there is no clarity if he is going to be fit or not for the weekend,” Mikel Arteta said when asked whether Declan Rice would be fit enough to feature against Chelsea.

He added: “He hasn’t trained yet and it is not clear whether he is going to be available or not to play.”