Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, with Mikel Arteta’s men hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.
With 14 games gone, the Gunners find themselves fifteenth on 14 points, while fifth-place Chelsea have 25 points to their name.
Arsenal head into Saturday’s clash on a six-game winless run in the Premier League, with five defeats and one draw coming during that period.
Having taken just one point from the last 18 on offer, the Gunners have officially made their worst start to a season for 46 years.
To make matters worse, Arteta’s side were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, losing 4-1 to defending champions Manchester City.
Looking at the bigger picture, Arsenal have only won one of their previous ten league outings, with four defeats in their last five home matches.
With just 12 goals to their name, the Gunners are the fourth-lowest scorers in England’s top division this season.
On the flip side, Chelsea head into this clash on the back of a convincing 3-0 victory over West Ham, with Tammy Abraham netting a double last time out.
The victory ended a run of two straight defeats in the Premier League for the Blues, meaning they are now six points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Frank Lampard’s men have only lost two of their previous 20 matches in all competitions, so off-form Arsenal are likely to struggle on Saturday.
Chelsea have been efficient at both ends of the pitch this term. Only Liverpool have scored more goals than the Blues, while just two sides – Man City and Aston Villa – have conceded less.
Head-to-head: The Emirates Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea in recent years. Indeed, the Blues have only managed to win one of their last eight away matches against Arsenal.
Having said that, Arsenal have only lost one of their previous four games against Chelsea in all competitions.
Team news: Thomas Partey is injured for Arsenal, while Granit Xhaka is suspended. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may also miss out through injury.
As for Chelsea, full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell are both doubts. Hakim Ziyech will definitely be sidelined for Saturday’s game.
It is no secret that Arsenal have made a terrible start to the 2020/21 campaign. Meanwhile, Chelsea have grown into the season and now look a serious threat.
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