Stamford Bridge, London
Sunday, January 20
8:30 a.m. EST, 13:30 GMT
- Match Officials
- Referee: Martin Atkinson
- Assistants: Stephen Child and Charles Breakspear
- 4th Official: Kevin Friend
- Reverse Fixture: Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea
- This Match, Last Year: Chelsea 3 - 5 Arsenal
- All-Time in All Competitions: 71 Arsenal wins, 55 Chelsea wins, 52 draws
- Arsenal's League Form: W-W-W-W-D-L
- Chelsea's League Form: W-W-W-L-W-D
- Weather: Cloudy, 0 C / 32 F
Another quick preview this time around, considering I feel like Arsenal just played the other day, and there isn't much more to say.
Jack Wilshere: WOO.
Jack Wilshere: WOO.
Arsenal Squad News
- There really is not much injury news, is there? Considering Arsenal just played on Wednesday...
- Laurent Koscielny returns from his one match ban; I would hope he does not start.
- As for other injuries, I am working on the assumption that Arsenal is still without Mikel Arteta (calf), Tomas Rosicky (calf), and Lukasz Fabianski (something...)
- Otherwise, I see no reason why there would be a change to the starting XI from Wednesday, considering there wasn't really any rotation and considering how positive the forward shift of Jack Wilshere in the midfield turned out.
- There is a 99% chance of Theo Walcott signing a contract. I'll believe it only when they complete the photo shoot to go along with the article for the official site.
- Yossi Benayoun was on loan to West Ham before pulling a ligament in his knee, which ended the loan spell. He is back at Chelsea retrieving treatment.
- Romeu, Romeu, where for art thou Romeu? Oriol Romeu is out for the season with a knee injury.
- Arsenal's 1-0 win over Swansea on Wednesday was their first victory of the 2013 calendar year. It snapped a three match winless streak, which included road draws with Southampton (1-1) and Swansea (2-2) and a home loss to Manchester City (2-0.)
- This season, Arsenal has a record of three wins, one draw, and one loss in London derbies. Only the win against West Ham was played away from home.
- Chelsea have yet to win at Stamford Bridge in 2013. They have lost 1-0 to QPR, 2-0 to Swansea in the League Cup semi-final first leg, and on Wednesday, blew a 2-0 lead to draw Southampton 2-2. In their two road matches of 2013, they have outscored their opponents 9-1, winning both.
- Chelsea's record in London derbies this season is two wins, two draws, and two losses. They managed one point out of a possible six against Queens Park Rangers. They lost to West Ham at Upton Park. They drew Fulham at the Bridge. Their wins came against Arsenal and Tottenham, both away from home.
- In domestic competitions under Rafael Benitez, Chelsea have six wins from seven games away from home and one win from six at Stamford Bridge.
- Arsenal had been unbeaten in three straight matches against Chelsea before losing 2-1 at the Emirates in September.
- Chelsea undid Arsenal via set pieces in that match; Fernando Torres beat Laurent Koscielny to deflect in a Juan Mata free kick to put Chelsea up 1-0 in the first half. At 1-1, another Mata free kick was turned into the net by Koscielny himself. Gervinho had the goal for Arsenal.
- This match last year was bonkers. Chelsea led 2-1 at halftime before Andre Santos and Theo Walcott put Arsenal up 3-2. Juan Mata equalized in the 80th, but then John Terry fell down, allowing eventual traitor Robin van Persie to put Arsenal up again with his second of the match. The Dutchman completed his hat trick in injury time to put the game away, 5-3.
- Last year's 5-3 was Arsenal's first win at Stamford Bridge since 2008.
- Prior to Arsenal's recent three match unbeaten run over Chelsea, the Blues had won five straight over the Gunners.
- The referee is West Yorkshire-based Martin Atkinson.
- Atkinson was in charge of the reverse fixture between these two sides in September. Sean's recap of that match notes that Atkinson had a dreadful first quarter of an hour from an Arsenal fan's perspective, but evened out in the end.
- The 2-1 loss to Chelsea is the only Arsenal match Atkinson has worked this season.
- Atkinson has worked one other Chelsea match: their 3-1 loss to West Ham United at Upton Park in early December.
- Atkinson has shown more yellow cards (100) than any other Select Group official this year, though he has only shown one red.
- Arsenal's Last Six with Atkinson: D-D-L-W-W-L
- Chelsea's Last Six with Atkinson: D-D-D-W-W-L
- Saturday: Liverpool v. Norwich City; Anfield, Liverpool
- Saturday: Manchester City v. Fulham; Etihad Stadium, Manchester
- Saturday: Newcastle United v. Reading; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Saturday: Swansea City v. Stoke City; Liberty Stadium, Swansea
- Saturday: West Ham United v. Queens Park Rangers; Boleyn Ground, London
- Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. Sunderland; DW Stadium, Wigan
- Saturday: West Bromwich Albion v. Aston Villa; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
- Sunday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Manchester United; White Hart Lane, London
- Monday: Southampton v. Everton; St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
