Chelsea have arrived at the Emirates and it looks like Cole Palmer is not with the squad. He has been suffering from illness since the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday and it looks like he is not well enough to be in the squad tonight.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants his side to give their run-in all they have got. After losing to Aston Villa in the league just over a week ago and being knocked out of the Champions League to Bayern Munich, Arsenal went top of the league with a 2-0 victory at Wolves on Saturday. With five games remaining, Arsenal host Chelsea this evening at the Emirates.
“I have the same message that we need to keep doing what we’re doing, focus on the game and the task, prepare the game well and the boys look ready to go again,” Arteta said. “It meant a lot for us [to win against Wolves]. We are in a great position and we have been for nine months. We really want to give it a real go and we are really determined to do what is in our hands to lift the trophy.”
Arsenal could have Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu back tonight after he missed the win at Wolves over the weekend with a small knock. Dutch defender Jurrien Timber is still unavailable due to his knee injury, but he has stepped up his recovery after playing for the Arsenal Under-21’s this week.
Chelsea could be without Cole Palmer tonight, who has been ill since their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday. Palmer is currently the joint-top scorer in the league alongside Erling Haaland and speaking yesterday, Pochettino was unsure about Palmer’s involvement tonight.
“We will see [Tuesday] morning. Today [Monday], I do not believe he can be involved,” Pochettino said. “Even if he is good [on Tuesday] maybe he is not in a condition to play. We hope he can recover from this situation and be involved with the team.”
Chelsea sit ninth in the table, three points off seventh place. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games, winning four and drawing four. Levi Colwill, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia all remain absent.
Chelsea’s only win in the past nine meetings with Arsenal in all competitions was a 2-0 win at the Emirates in August 2021. Back in October, Chelsea were 2-0 up against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge with just 15 minutes left before late goals from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard earned Mikel Arteta’s side a point.
