Image: Confirmed Arsenal Team for today’s Chelsea challenge

The teams are out for tonight’s Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge, with this Arsenal XI set to take on Chelsea.

We predicted the switch to a back five in today’s predicted Line-up, but we are pleasantly surprised by the return of Elneny to the starting XI.

He will bring some needed defensive stability, but will this team have the goals to get the win today?

Patrick

Tags Chelsea Chelsea v Arsenal

148 Comments

  1. On past performance, I would not bet any money on getting a victory here, but you never know 🤔 strong bench for our small squad (attacking wise) ….

  2. Seeing Nketiah starting makes me sad. It shows how far we have fallen. We have the thinnest squad we have ever had at the moment. Barring a few youngsters we are not a particularly good side. Maybe Pepe will turn up tonight. Hope is all that is left from Pandora’s Box.

  3. It’s not a bad line up. It may help to atleast get a point from the game. 3central defenders can probably keep Chelsea at bay. If we lose we will definately find someone to point the blame on, but I give arteta kudos for trying to change the tide of us losing 4 in a row in the league. By the way that does not make me pro arteta, still think the job is too big for him

  4. Martinelli and Pepe should be starting, not Nketiah and Oedegaard.

    Fans keep saying Lacazette offers nothing,
    Please what does Nketiah offer? No holdup, no poaching, nothing.

    1. Seems it’s going to be

      Ramsdale
      White Holding Gabriel
      Saka Elneny Xhaka Tavares
      Ordegaard (c) Smith Rowe
      Nketiah

    1. Agreed. Why on earth he would start Nketiah Is anyones guess..

      With Xhaka/Elneny we are trying to stop them playing rather than offer any creativity ourselves.

      Not hopeful

    2. Nketia leading our attack!!!!!! Why not martinelli who is more composed infront of a goal. Nketia is a not ideal for me

  5. That attack with Nketiah doesn’t fill me with confidence. What’s Martinelli doing on the bench?
    White at RB is understandable and Elneny is too, but the attack fills me with no confidence

    1. At times there is no better gamble nor option. Nketiah has at least shot on the upright thrice as much in the last few games which Laca hasn’t. Eddie may run like a headless Chicken send frustrate the likes of Rudiger and get them booked, Laca is just not there anymore. Marinelli is another one declining significantly, his game has been well studied by RBs and RCBs. Fancy footwork and speed but output not justifying anything. That’s where ESR edges him, he creeps into the penalty box and tries out something and his single touch passes are more creative than runs of Martinelli. So we just don’t have quality. That bubble of narrow wins is long overgone.. and someone took a gamble and refused to replace Auba, sign Guimares and let go of the hot-headed Guendozi. Emotions don’t play on the field, you need players to be a top coach.

  6. Why can’t Martinelli start up top?

    Nketiah has zero goals this season and it doesn’t put fear in the opponent’s defense.

  7. With this line-up,we wouldn’t have lost 3 in a row but our so called manager keeps toying with the team by selecting amateurish players like lokonga&nketia&playing xhaka as a left back.i see no way back for us in the race for top 4 as chelsea will add to our misery tonight,let’s just hope for better decisions by the owners&the board next season.

  8. Martinelli who as been our best player this last month on the bench ,strange one ,unless he’s being saved for Utd .
    Looks like we are going defensive tonight with Elneny also bought in .
    COYG

  9. Please let the coach work, he knows what he’s doing. Remember we beat them on their ground last season, we I told you guys that Tuchel won’t expect what Arteta is cooking, we used Holding at Rb and Nketiah to lead the line, martinelli will be on the bench studying the match until the 68th minutes, he will come on and score the winning goal, what a strategy from the most tactical coach in the league. COYG

  10. Remember Martinelli’s great goal against Chelsea a while ago. How can Nketiah play in front of Martinelli or Pepe for that matter. 2 years on and Arteta makes some bizarre selections. I cannot believe this team is representing Arsenal.

    1. Really???? Are you sure????? We are not exactly playing Fifa playstation. Is big 10 foot 6 Giroud playing for Chelsea tonight???? He’s a very tall player

  11. Arsenal does not lack players, it can perform but only with a good chemistry. We have enough defenders that we can experiment as Holding can be central with white and Gabriel partnering him.Terney and cedric if fit could play on wings in mid,xhaka,elneny,partly in mid and pepe , lack and nketia can be on our forward mission and we beat Chelsea.

  12. Wow he has actually but a balanced team out and not putting round pegs in round holes. Probably too late, waiting for Chelsea and not the players i would have used but at least they will know what they are supposed to do.

  13. Seems like Arteta is looking for a draw. So expecting a lot of sideways and backwards.

    Tuchel looking to get Lukaku on the scoresheet.

    Mikel hinting about a back 4 not a back 5 (or 3 if you would).

      1. And a good opposition to get your confidence and form back on track.

        An old Indian cricket team comes to mind. When Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Saeed Anwar go on a bad form they used to love to play against India to get back on track. This Arsenal team these last few weeks reminds me of that era.

  14. COYG let’s do this with a derby form is outa the window, I see holding and a lukaku fight 😁 bring it on a draw the worst am excepting

    1. I’m just hoping we dont get embarrassed tonight but if we do then arteta has to go and I like the guy but we are arsenal and we shouldn’t settle for 2nd best

  15. Fingers crossed, a defensive formation prolly to secure a draw…let’s see if it pays off like last season… hopefully we get a spotkick and defend till full-time again….

  16. Martinelli should really lead the line. Arteta is trying to impress Nketia whom they want to stay but he hasn’t shown anything so far. Let’s see how it goes.

  17. “WE are pleasantly surprised” etc ! Speak for yourself only Patrick.

    I have been telling all who care to read sense that Elneny is the sort of very poor player who should have NEVER been brought anywhere near our club.

    He is miles worse than we need. I know that, even though you seem not to know it!

    1. You also told any one who cared to read that Elneny would never ever ever eve ever play for Arsenal again ,low and behold he’s played about another 20 matches since .
      Probably best to leave the football decisions to the manager you back so much .

  18. I expect all out effort tonight and no negativity because tonight and Saturday are our cup finals. Plus they’ve had a rest the last 3 games.

  19. Eddie up front who’s off at the 1st offer in the summer in a game we have to win ffs

  20. Not liking this line up already. Way too much change. Expecting a frustrating evening again. Thanks MA!

  21. Xhaka what a player when he’s gone we’ll b OK turn your back on it but Eddie scores thinks he’s messi

  22. Wicked deflection but Xhaka the big girl turning away and not seeing the ball. WTF! Hardly text book defending.

  23. Just our luck. After the Southampton best gk performance of the year. Really weird deflection. Good start though. Win this it wipes out the abysmal Brighton showing at least.

      1. Yeah I didn’t leave I worked 17/18 days. Got lucky it covered Brighton because I’d not only of had to swallow my other comments but the comments I made privately about how it was a shoe in, our home form is 3rd in the league, easy. Exposing your bias though with that comment, United free hit went with the palace loss and the Chelsea free hit went with the Brighton loss, never pretended otherwise. So as usual I’m consistent.

          1. Did you read I’d of waxed lyrical before the Brighton game about our 3rd home form, ignore palace, I’d of embarrassed myself, literally giving you ammo on that but got lucky with insane shifts yet still have now said it. Worked Southampton too had a day after and my comments would be pointless then, unlucky Southampton massively, just as massively actually wterrible Vs Brighton, commented on palace terrible 1st half, poor finishing or unlucky 2nd half, no excuse for 1st half. Day off today always, day off next days because my engine is screwed. Went quiet December too both when we were top 4 and after we weren’t, worked 250 hours that month, 8 1/2 for every 30 days outside Christmas. So stop reading in to that bs, I’ll be here if we lose 10 in a row start of next season and sack arteta and say I was wrong.

          2. If you know any fans that travel ask around for people that once knew an Angus you’ll stumble across someone that knows someone I know 100% if you go away. Find them find my number and I’ll tell you where I work and you can go in and ask about the rota and what I did this month work hours.

  24. Nketiah, hero to villain in 4 minutes and Xhaka worried about getting smacked in the face turns away from shot and deflects it as a result.

  25. That didn’t last long. Very saveable. Instead Ramsdale has to try and be Mr Spectacular. Very costly

    1. Haha true although that could have gone horribly wrong 9 times out of 10 normally.
      Again not what you’d call text book defending in your own box;)

      But hey!!! Let’s keep the advantage a little longer shall we;)

  26. Good goal but let’s b fair Rob holding is there a worst player in the world the world i say

    1. Ben white worse at defending.

      besides you cant blame him, he never gets any game time to work with a defensive partner.

      i would take holding before white any day.

      white overrated, he can pass but defensively he is school boy level

  27. This is the Arsenal I’ve waited to see – of course we’ll make mistakes, but we are fighting for the badge!!!!

  28. He’s at it every game going down 4 no reason keown I don’t think so Ben White going 4 a bafta

  29. Play white a DM from now on keep him well away from the defence very poor player to think we don’t sign white save €50 play saliba

  30. Does nketiah know he is allowed to dribble, everytime he is one on one simply refuses to take his man on.

    1. He is maybe a weak take-on dribbler. But surprisingly in one instance where he shot just wide from long he managed to hold off one or two chelsea defenders well… and as I speak we have one more good opportunity.

      1. He has improved his ability to hold off defenders but having a forward who cant take on defenders is a huge liability when playing this hit them fast style we are playing.

  31. We were awful in the first ten minutes, but we somehow managed to score twice. Elneny’s interceptions seem much better than Lokonga

    Ramsdale has conceded too many easy goals, so he can’t be English number one. Unfortunately, he can’t be dropped either, since Leno will be sold

  32. Two disoriented teams misplacing passes all over the field of play.

    Ben white all over the place.

    Two clean goals carelessly thrown away by Arsenal.

    Eddie Nketiah by far the best player on that pitch – not messing around at all

  33. I think our defence which had so much praise for much of the season is kind of slowly degrading drom their high standards. White been shaky, Ramsdale seems a little less invincible these past few games and Gabby too. I think Tomi returning back to his full fitness will improve it as he would provide more protection to White. Mo seems a little more solid and willing this game then Lokonga has been previously. Xhaka being crude as well as elegant and generally attack has benefited from the counterattacking style. If we solidify more, this could be a varying alternative against highly attacking sides.

    1. Also need more press resistant midfielders in the middle. Someone to compliment Partey this summer would be nice.

  34. I wouldn’t put a bet on either team to win this game. Both look dodgy as hell. More goals likely but who can score the most?

  35. Good value for money in the first half
    But 80 million spent on white and Odegaard ,these are the decisions that have a impact further down The line .

  36. Chelsea’s defending was absolutely hopeless for that goal. It will have done Nketiah a power of good

  37. Can’t complain about luck this game, cancels their lucky 1st. So pleased for Eddie, one of our own and works his socks off (behind the scenes too.)

  38. Where was this fight and intensity in the last 3 matches? 3 pts here will compensate for that home loss vs Brighton.

  39. Good on Eddie Nketiah – I’ve never been convinced he’s what we need up front but I’d never question his mentality. He goes for it 100% in every game and often forces defenders into mistakes.

    1. If only we could keep slipping in the opponent half. Looking like a bunch of drunkards on new year’s eve.

  40. Tavares needs more composure. Good game so far. Gabriel, Nketiah and elneny. Solid performance.

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