Premier League: Test No. 3 for Arsenal is Another London Juggernaut

Chelsea vs Arsenal

A week ago when I previewed the North London Derby, I said Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were potentially entering a week of destiny. 

Well, they have passed the first two of three huge tests, beating Tottenham 4-1 and then inflicting Bayern’s first defeat of the season in the Champions League. The third of this trio of challenges is equally daunting for the faint-hearted among the Arsenal faithful. 

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday is probably as hard as it gets, at this moment in time.

I say that for two reasons. Firstly, the last leg of any target naturally increases in importance. And secondly, Chelsea are in scintillating form, beating Barcelona, no less in their Champions League tie. It’s a coming together of the Premier League top two, and Enzo Maresca’s Blues made it three league wins on the bounce with a 2-0 win over Burnley last week. 

A home win would cut Arsenal’s six point lead to three, but an away win would extend their lead to at least seven, while a draw may mean the Gunners enter December with a healthy five-point lead. That all depends on Manchester City beating Leeds United on Saturday, and fans of both Chelsea and Arsenal will be watching the Premier League 2025 updates closely. 

Then the two London giants will get it on.    

 

Talking Points 

Estevao is pure gold for Chelsea 

The Blues were quite simply sensational in their 3-0 win over Barcelona, as they took the Blaugrana apart after a comical Jules Kounde own goal had given Chelsea a head start. Striker Liam Delap rounded off the scoring with his first goal since the Club World Cup, but it was a moment of magic from teenage sensation Estevao which got the Chelsea fans off their seats. With the score at 1-0 just after halftime, the Brazil star went on a scintillating run, beating Barca centre-back Pau Cubarsi before smashing the ball into the roof of the net.   

On a rare quiet night for Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Estevao stole the show and gave credence to a recent suggestion from Barcelona winger Raphinha that he and Yamal will become the new Messi and Ronaldo over the next decade. Chelsea’s 18-year-old star joined Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland as the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts. That is some company to sit amongst.

Estevao and Chelsea’s other attacking players will need to be at their best against the strongest defence in the league, as Arsenal’s only defeat was a 1-0 reversal to Liverpool. The other two Chelsea players I’ll be watching are wing-back Marc Cucurella, the combative Spaniard who is in the form of his life, and Moises Caicedo, the midfield engine who is set to come face to face with Arsenal’s Declan Rice.       

With the Gunners odds on favourites to win their first title in over two decades, the latest SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds make Maresca’s boys the third favourites, with Manchester City as the biggest threat to Arsenal. A home win on Sunday would certainly squeeze those odds a little.  

 

Squad returns make Arsenal even stronger 

As well as topping the Champions League table, the Gunners are on a nine-match unbeaten run, and they have achieved that without several important players. But there was a reappearance of three stars who climbed off the bench against Bayern, and two of them scored a goal. 

After Jurrien Timber had got the ball rolling for the Gunners, 17-year-old Lennart Karl levelled for the Bavarians, but Arsenal responded brilliantly in the second half. Coming off the bench, Noni Madueke scored his first goal for Arsenal, and Gabriel Martinelli finished off a lightning breakaway with an assist from Eberechi Eze. 

This was Martinelli’s first outing in more than a month, but there was also a cameo appearance for club captain Martin Odegaard, and that was a sight arsenal fans have been waiting for.            

 

History 

These two London giants have had a long, long relationship, and Arsenal hold the upper hand, winning 85 matches to Chelsea’s 66, and there have been 60 draws. And the Gunners are unbeaten in the last seven meetings, drawing their last two visits to Stamford Bridge, 1-1 when they met last season.    

In terms of recent form, there is nothing to choose between Chelsea and Arsenal, who have both won five and drawn one of the last six games.   

 

Betting Tip

With the visitors at 2.15 and Chelsea at 3.25 to win, this is still a tough ask for the Blues to stop the Gunners’ charge. But I think they will, and I can see a share of the points again at the Bridge.

   

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