Chris Sutton has followed Paul Merson in making his prediction for Sunday's London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal. The Blues host Mikel Arteta's side to Stamford Bridge looking to return to winning ways after last week's defeat to Brighton.
The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League table after 10 wins in 12 games and sit two points above Manchester City. Chelsea will be looking to cut the gap between themselves and Newcastle in the Champions League places after falling out of the top four following last weeks thrashing at the Amex Stadium.
Both sides come into the fixture on the back of narrow European victories in midweek. The Blues defeated Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday evening while Arteta's side secured the place as group winners in the Europa League with a 1-0 win over FC Zurich.
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The mouth-watering tie has potential to be a thriller in the capital and Sutton has laid out who he believes could be key in the outcome of the clash. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "Arsenal have won at Stamford Bridge in each of the past two seasons but I am not convinced they will make it three in a row.
"A lot depends on whether Bukayo Saka is fit for the Gunners and how Chelsea boss Graham Potter approaches the game - like one of his predecessors, Claudio Ranieri, he has been a bit of a 'Tinkerman' with his team and tactics recently.
"Overall Potter has done well though, and I don't think his side will be as bad again at the back as they were against Brighton last time out."
Sutton has predicted the clash to end 1-1 and former Arsenal man Paul Merson has made the same call in what he calls a "massive game for both teams". In a column for Sportskeeda, Merson wrote: "This is a massive game for both teams, for different reasons.
"If Arsenal win, they will go 13 points clear of Chelsea. Let’s be realistic now – Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea aren’t talking about winning the Premier League title. The title race is over for them, and they’re looking for a top-four finish.
"If Arsenal win this game, they’d have to lose five football matches for Chelsea to catch them, and that’s if Chelsea don’t lose themselves. This is a big game for Arsenal, and they’ll need to avoid defeat. They need to make sure they’re not flat-track bullies."
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