In their second leg Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven, Arsenal actually chose to rest players ahead of facing Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side were 7-1 up on aggregate going into the game and eventually went through as 9-3 winners, explaining why they could afford to take their foot off the gas ever so slightly.
Arsenal still retain some glimmer of hope that they might be able to catch Liverpool in the title-race, and in order to do so they will need to win every one of their remaining league games.
Position | Team | Played MP |
Won W |
Drawn D |
Lost L |
For GF |
Against GA |
Diff GD |
Points Pts |
1 | 29 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 69 | 27 | 42 | 70 | |
2 | 28 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 52 | 24 | 28 | 55 | |
3 | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 51 | |
4 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 53 | 36 | 17 | 49 | |
5 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 53 | 38 | 15 | 47 | |
6 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 47 | 38 | 9 | 47 |
Of course, that begins with Chelsea this weekend, who are also pretty desperate for points right now.
Enzo Maresca’s side have been on the decline in recent months – Cole Palmer’s form has dropped slightly and Nicolas Jackson has been injured.
And with Manchester City and Newcastle hot on their tails in pursuit of a Champions League spot – every point will be crucial.
Roy Keane and Gary Neville don’t think Chelsea can beat Arsenal
That considered, both Roy Keane and Gary Neville gave their score predictions for Sunday’s clash on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.
Chelsea have only won one of the last 11 meetings between the two sides, a 2-0 win at the Emirates back in 2021 courtesy of goals from Romelu Lukaku and Reece James.
And unfortunately for Maresca’s side right now, neither Keane nor Neville thought that Chelsea would be able to pull off a similar result on Sunday.
Neville initially agreed with Keane’s prediction about Arsenal winning the game, before then changing his mind and opting for a 1-1 draw.
Keane began: “2-1 Arsenal.”
Neville replied: “That’s the score I went for, I would have gone for 2-1 Arsenal.
“I think Arsenal will win but we’ll go 1-1, I don’t think it’s 3-1.”
Raheem Sterling won’t be able to face Chelsea for Arsenal
Of course, the tie comes at a frustrating time for Raheem Sterling who won’t be able to face his parent club on Sunday.
Martin Keown thought Sterling was excellent against PSV on Wednesday evening – he arguably delivered his best performance in an Arsenal shirt.
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Sterling has struggled at Arsenal this season, perhaps explaining why Chelsea were so willing to subsidise a deal to take the winger to north London on loan.
Sterling’s relationship with Arteta is still very good, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to play a bigger role in the months to come.
Either way, it’ll be a fascinating tie at the Emirates, a fixture that usually provides a lot of drama.