Arsenal badly need a win against Chelsea in the London derby this weekend.

A defeat at Stamford Bridge would put the Gunners in crisis mode and manager Mikel Arteta clear knows this. He tried to put on a brave face with a bullish prediction ahead of Sunday’s match.

They will be facing a team in confident mood, with the Blues having just thrashed Armenian side FC Noah in the Conference League midweek.

Press the next page as we predict Arsenal’s starting lineup to take on Chelsea.

Goalkeeper and Defence

GK – David Raya – the Spaniard will likely be tested a lot more than he was against Inter Milan midweek.

RB – Ben White – Chelsea are likely to field Pedro Neto on the left wing so the defender will need to match the pacy Portuguese international stride for stride.

CB – William Saliba – the Frenchman will be disappointed with how he lost Alexander Isak for his goal last weekend, but he was solid midweek in the San Siro and he will be tasked with keeping Nicolas Jackson quiet.

CB – Gabriel – the centre-back is always a threat from set-pieces and, with this likely to be a tight game, the Gunners would take a scrappy winner from a corner right now.

LB – Jurrien Timber – the Dutchman has returned to fitness and looks back to his best based on his performance versus Inter.

Midfield

CM – Thomas Partey – the midfielder will be crucial if Arsenal are going to win the midfield battle this weekend. The partnership of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia has looked impressive so Partey will need all of his experience to get the upper hand.

CM – Declan Rice – the 25-year-old has broken his toe but he is keen to play through the pain barrier.

AM – Martin Odegaard – the Norwegian made his comeback after nearly two months on the sidelines against Inter and Arteta will be tempted to throw him in from the start at Stamford Bridge.

It would be a risk but needs must. The Gunners are struggling in the final third and they badly need Odegaard’s creativity.

Forwards

RW – Bukayo Saka – It will be interesting to see who wins the battle between him and Reece James, if Maresca decides to play his captain at left-back as he has done in recent fixtures.

There is also the possibility that Saka will be facing Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard didn’t play against Noah which may suggest he is being saved Sunday’s match.

CF – Kai Havertz – the German is doing a lot right in the final third of the pitch, but he isn’t having as much luck in front of goal at the moment.

LW – Gabriel Martinelli – the Brazilian’s inconsistency is extremely frustrating but he is clearly in better form than Leandro Trossard, who is likely to drop to the bench for this game.