A London derby at Emirates Stadium between Chelsea and Arsenal highlights the weekend slate of games in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca will look to avoid the same fate his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino suffered the last time Chelsea visited the Emirates with a humbling 0–5 defeat. Instead, the Blues will look to string together three straight league wins to continue their charge for Champions League soccer next season and hammer the final nail in the coffin of their city rival's title hopes.
The battle for European places in the Premier League is heating up. Despite the recent wins, Chelsea have failed to impress vs. relegation bound teams, as Maresca continues to look for alternatives to work around injuries to core attacking players.
Games against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur on the other side of the international break will tell a lot about Chelsea's prospects of returning to the biggest club competition in the world after a two season absence.
Noni Madeuke and Nicolas Jackson remain sidelined but Maresca could potentially field his strongest back line for the first time in months with Wesley Fofana and Reece James fully fit. Chelsea will look to win at the Emirates for the first time since Romelo Lukaku's second-debut for the club in 2021 under Thomas Tuchel.
Here's how Chelsea could lineup vs. Arsenal on Sunday, Mar. 16.
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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—The Spaniard is back as Chelsea's Premier League starter after four league games on the bench.
RB: Reece James—Though he's been utilized in midfield in recent games, Chelsea's captain will return to his usual role on the right side of defense.
CB: Wesley Fofana—Fofana's return is very significant and will be back partnering Levi Colwill like for much of the first half of the season.
CB: Levi Colwill—Colwill's best games as a Chelsea player have come with Fofana alongside him.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The Euro 2024 winner has become a crucial part of Chelsea's success this term.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—A yellow card would see Caicedo miss the game vs. Tottenham.
CM: Enzo Fernández—Fernández bagged his first Premier League assist of 2025 last time out against Leicester City.
RW: Jadon Sancho—Sancho has failed to impress after a strong start to his Chelsea career and Tyrique George could potentially replace him in the XI.
AM: Cole Palmer—Palmer will be determined on breaking out of his two month slump.
LW: Christopher Nkunku—The Frenchman will start from the left-wing against Arsenal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal: Premier League.
