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Sunday afternoon will be the first time this season that Chelsea have hosted one of the league's better sides. To this point in the season, it's been smooth sailing for the Blues, who could make the gap between themselves and the Gunners a massive nine points at this early juncture with a win.
While Chelsea have been in relatively good form since the season kicked off, Arsenal haven't looked very good for most of the campaign. Arsene Wenger has been running with a 4-1-4-1 that the fans seem to hate, largely because his side have looked absolutely terrible while using it. Several Arsenal players have hinted at changes for this weekend though, and while it's likely that those changes are being implemented because of the latest Arsenal injury crisis as opposed to tactical reasons, it's a move that could potentially make the Gunners a little tougher to embarrass.
Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, will almost have no choice but to go with a relatively attack-minded lineup, as the key to setting up a conservative midfield is out with injury. It's possible that Jose decides to roll with a pivot of John Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic to neutralize the Gunners' attack, but given how poor they've looked for the bulk of the season, I'd think it far more likely that we see Cesc Fabregas start in the pivot, and Mikel introduced later on if Chelsea is trying to put the game to bed.
It's hard not to be fairly excited for this one, and here's everything you need to know ahead of the big match:
Opponent: Arsenal FC
Date/Time: Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 14:05 local time
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Chelsea squad news: Didier Drogba and Ramires are the only absentees for this match, with Ramires being the only one of the pair that might have possibly started. As usual, Diego Costa is healthy enough to play, and will look to surpass Fernando Torres' best Premier League single season Chelsea scoring total in just his seventh Premier League game.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa
Arsenal squad news: As usual, it's crisis time in North London. While the bulk of their injuries this season have been the unavoidable type, the muscular injuries are starting to show up as well. They aren't quite to the point of emergency loans for injured players, but they're quickly approaching that.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Szczesny, Debuchy Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta Flamini, Ramsey Wilshere, Sanchez, Ozil, Walcott Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud Welback
Television and streaming: In the US, this game will be televised on NBCSN and Telemundo, and streamed on NBC sports live extra. Indian fans can watch on Star Sports 2 HD and Star Sports 4. In the UK, it's on Sky Sports 1 HD and Sky Go. Everyone else can find their listing here, and enjoy the highlights of last season's drubbing.