We’re back from the international break and straight into the always momentous clash between Chelsea and Arsenal – the oldest top-flight duel in the metropolis – with the Blues’ first Saturday evening fixture of the campaign. We were immensely successful in this slot for years, but last season’s one win, two draws and two defeats from such games demands improvement.

With two key players from the hosts’ starting XI unable to fly back from internationals until the early hours of Wednesday, alongside four for the visitors, youthful powers of recovery will be tested. As it happens, the average age of players used by Chelsea in the league to date is 24.95 years and for Arsenal 24.96, the fifth and sixth youngest teams in Europe’s top five leagues (source: footballobservatory.com).

Before the FIFA break, at Burnley, there was finally some Claret we could savour after unpalatable offerings from West Ham and Aston Villa. Our Turf warriors have now scored 19 goals in five visits to that Lancastrian pocket, extending the longest unbeaten record of one Premier League club at the home of another.

That morale-boosting 4-1 sealed back-to-back wins on the road for Chelsea, but this weekend we are aiming to avoid a third successive home league defeat for the first time in 30 years.

Featuring two of the tightest three defences in the top flight, it could be a cagey affair. However, only four sides have a higher expected goals figure than the Blues’ 15.0 – just ahead of the Gunners with 14.9.

The heavyweight derby clash heralds a crucial run of fixtures for Mauricio Pochettino against high-flying sides that will cut into the heartwood of the season. Each of the next five in league and cup will take place in London, four of them at Stamford Bridge, where fans can make the weight of home advantage count.

Team news

After three straight wins across all competitions, Mauricio Pochettino has the double joy of a newly-confident and increasingly fitter squad, though he will monitor the freshness of the late-returning Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Either side dominating midfield could very well decide Saturday’s outcome.

The Blues coach will look again for inspiration from stay-at-home Raheem Sterling, who scored once and played a big part in each of the other three goals in the win at Burnley. One of the winger’s many zesty bursts earned the penalty that was coolly taken by Cole Palmer for his first account-opener in the top flight.

That made the 21 years, 154 days-old attacking midfielder our second-youngest Premier League scorer from the spot after Oscar (versus Aston Villa in December 2012), 50 days his junior. The Mancunian’s ability to scheme and link between the lines has been a major factor in the goals starting to flow at last.

Poch’s efficiency target was certainly reached at Turf Moor: the Blues struck four times from just nine shots against the Clarets (a 44.4 per cent success rate), our leanest haul of four or more goals since September 2017 (4-0 against Stoke from just seven shots). Prior to the Lancashire trip we had converted a mere 6.9 per cent of chances this season (7/102).

The former City team-mates also combined for sprightly sub Nico Jackson. That was the first strike on opposition soil for our joint-leading marksman, who has netted in each of his last two games against top-flight opponents.

Axel Disasi bowed out of France’s matches with a slight muscle problem but should recover in time for this weekend. Malo Gusto is available again and fellow right-back Reece James, who’s only figured once this season, has indicated his readiness. If involved, the Blues’ skipper will make his 100th Premier League appearance.

Goal contributions all competitions 2023/24

Opposition scout – Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has to weigh up any injury risks ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Sevilla, especially after Arsenal’s shock setback at Lens in that competition.

Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard (hamstrings) and William Saliba (toe) are slight doubts for the visitors. Two of the three are essential to the way the north Londoners play under Mikel Arteta. Saka presses defenders and has contributed towards 40 per cent of the Gunners league goals so far, while last season’s league challenge fizzled out after Saliba’s injury in March.

The narrow win against Man City before the break was quite featureless (just three shots on target) because of Arteta’s unusually reticent set-up against Man City, and the aggressive strait-jacketing of Haaland by centre-backs Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Gunners packed the central areas, Declan Rice and Jorginho (the former Blue in his first start this term) blocking routes to the Norwegian. They were helped by the lack of attacking width in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up, and Poch will hope to isolate and beat full-backs Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko far more successfully than City managed.

The return of Gabriel Martinelli and potentially Saka could encourage Arteta to adopt more proactive tactics, though, which could work open gaps for the hosts to exploit. Goalkeeper David Raya is instructed to put his foot on the ball, which allows opponents to force errors.

Still, the Blues will be wary of the visitors aim of catching opponents off guard with short corners and quick throw-ins, and restricting Martin Odegaard’s influence will be crucial.

Chelsea vs Arsenal – the history

This will be the 63rd Premier League meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal. The Blues have squared up to the Gunners more times than any other opponent: 13 above Liverpool, 14 above Manchester Utd.

Along with Tottenham, the pair have formed the capital’s only permanent contingent in the competition since 1992. In matches between the three ever-presents, Chelsea have claimed the most points and points-per-match, greatest number of wins and fewest defeats, most goals for and fewest conceded.

London’s Premier League elite

However, we’ve not beaten the north Londoners at Stamford Bridge since August 2018, when a late winner from Marcos Alonso stymied the visitors’ comeback from 2-0 down.

Our most celebrated recent victory conceded with Arsene Wenger’s 1,000th match in charge on 22 March 2014. Jose Mourinho’s team had already raced into a 2-0 lead before Kieran Gibbs’ erroneous sending-off after 17 minutes (it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who’d palmed a goal-bound shot off the line). Eden Hazard converted the spot-kick and three further strikes, including one of Mohamed Salah’s two goals for the club, hit Wenger’s milestone for six.

Pause for Israel/Gaza

All top-flight players will wear black armbands this weekend and before kick-off every club will observe a moment’s silence as a mark of respect for victims of the conflict in the Middle East.

The Premier League is also backing this Red Cross appeal.

Honouring Eden

The banner celebrating Eden Hazard, who recently announced his retirement from football aged 32, will be unfurled in the Matthew Harding End for the first time since his departure. Eden produced some of his most famous moments against our north London adversaries, including the stunner that ended Tottenham’s title challenge and the weaving run from the halfway line, flooring Coquelin and leaving Koscielny with twisted blood, in our 3-1 win at the Bridge.

The little maestro notched a career-best seven across all competitions for the Blues against Arsenal, beginning with a penalty in that 6-0 thrashing in 2014, and ending with a brace in our 4-1 Europe League final triumph in 2019.

The Belgian’s sizzling bursts had fans jumping from their seats and opponents using illegal means to thwart him. Throughout his seven years at the Bridge he suffered a remarkable 2.6 fouls per game. As vivid as his memory remains in the minds of fans around the world, football has prematurely lost one of its greats.

Combating intolerance

Chelsea abhors all forms of discrimination and at this match the club will highlight ways in which we are combating them under the banner ‘No Room For Racism’. October is also Black History Month and we have marked the annual cultural showcase with some inspiring content.

Two number ones

Mikel Arteta’s suggestion he will handle his goalkeepers like any other position, swapping in Brentford loanee David Raya or last season’s incumbent Aaron Ramsdale as he sees fit, challenges the orthodoxy. That has happened several times at Chelsea, beginning with the Thirties when the Pensioners had England regular and cigarette card favourite Vic Woodley and Scotland’s Johnny Jackson (short at 5’9”, ‘but brave as a lion; quick, sure, safe’).

In 1966 manager Tommy Docherty threatened to go a step further and actually alternate between brilliant homegrown glovesman Peter Bonetti and recent signing Alec Stepney. ‘The Cat’, though, retained his place and four days after his debut on 3 September 1966 (3-0 and a clean sheet at Southampton) the Doc sold Stepney to Manchester United, where he became a legend.

Chelsea’s Mr Dependable

They say the best ability is availability, and until his omission from the squad to face Manchester City a fortnight ago, Bukayo Saka was on the longest run of consecutive appearances in the Premier League with 87.

The Arsenal winger still had some way to go to match the all-time leader in that regard, Frank Lampard, who managed almost double that number for the Blues between 2001 and 2005.

Consecutive Premier League appearances by outfield player

Frank Lampard, Chelsea 164 (13 Oct 2001-26 Dec 2005)

Wayne Bridge, Southampton 113 (4 Mar 2000-18 Jan 2003)

Darren Fletcher, West Brom, Stoke 112 (8 Feb 2015-30 Dec 2017)

Alan Shearer, Blackburn 108 (18 Sep 1993-16 Mar 1996)

Jonathan Walters Stoke 104 (2 Feb 2011-30 Nov 2013)