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A mouthwatering London derby between old rivals Chelsea and Arsenal will take place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams come into this match having recently achieved European success; Chelsea defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the Champions League, and Arsenal progressed to the round of 16 in the Europa League.
After a demoralizing domestic setback, like the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Brighton Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium under previous manager Graham Potter's watch, a victory in Europe is usually the best tonic, but Chelsea had to struggle for their victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

Despite having already advanced to the knockout phase as group champions, Potter still had a strong starting lineup and saw Bruno Petkovic score after only seven minutes. However, Raheem Sterling and youngster Denis Zakaria responded with goals to give the Blues a much-needed victory in London.

While the Blues' great defensive streak under Potter has been broken, the English manager hasn't had the worst of starts, with only one defeat in 11 games. However, the club is now sixth in the Premier League, three points behind fourth-place Newcastle United with a game in hand.

Though a 12-goal turnaround and favorable results are needed for Chelsea to move up into the Champions League positions this weekend, the Blues have found recent success at Stamford Bridge, where they are unbeaten in their last 12 matches at home across all competitions.

It will be crucial for Potter and company to make the most of their additional day of rest before traveling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, since Arsenal were the last team to defeat the Blues at their home turf.

Arsenal, on the other hand, tried to bounce back from a European loss by winning the Premier League last weekend. The Gunners showed a clinical edge that has been lacking more often than not recently, scoring five goals against Nottingham Forest without a reply despite losing Bukayo Saka to injury.

While Kieran Tierney's sweetly-struck half-volley put Arsenal ahead against FC Zurich in the Europa League this week, the Gunners' inability to kill games off when a goal to the good raised its ugly head in the tense 1-0 triumph that took them straight through to the round of 16.

To avoid a potential playoff rematch against a team that has already been eliminated from the Champions League is a huge boon for Arsenal, who are currently two points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League but may fall to second if City beats Fulham on Sunday.

Arsenal have lost all five points they have dropped in the Premier League this season on the road, but they still boast the best away record in the league and have only given up four goals in opposition territory.

Arteta has led Arsenal to two consecutive victories at Stamford Bridge in the last two seasons, with a 2-0 Chelsea victory at the Emirates in between. The Gunners are also attempting to set a club record by becoming the first team in Premier League history to win three consecutive London derbies on the road without allowing a goal.

With long-term knee sufferers Wesley Fofana and Reece James, plus midfield trio N'Golo Kante (thigh) and Carney Chukwuemeka (hamstring), Chelsea already had enough defensive absentees to worry about when Ben Chilwell had to come out with a hamstring injury in the win against Zagreb.

Fans of Chelsea and England were dismayed to see the left back hobble off the field; as they wait for scan results, they can be assured that Chilwell will not be playing this weekend.

Edouard Mendy will continue to start in goal after Kepa Arrizabalaga was ruled out by Potter, and Mateo Kovacic is expected to return to the engine room after sitting out as a precaution in the midweek match due to a tight calf.

While Zakaria's small contact injury from his impressive debut shouldn't keep him out of this game, Potter may be cautious to start the Juventus loanee against the league leaders in his Premier League debut, so Kovacic's return to the starting XI wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

For Arsenal, the image of Takehiro Tomiyasu leaving the field with an injury in the waning minutes of a victory against Zurich was both familiar and sad. It is yet unknown how serious the defender's muscle problem is, but it would be surprising to see him line up here.

While Arteta had two huge reinforcements in midweek, Arsenal will be without Emile Smith Rowe, who has scored in each of Arsenal's previous two triumphs at Stamford Bridge, as he recovers from groin surgery. Matt Turner may also miss the match due to a groin injury.

Saka's injury against Nottingham Forest was very minor, so he was able to come off the bench in the Europa League, and Oleksandr Zinchenko returned to the team after missing time with a nagging calf injury.

While Tierney's man-of-the-match performance has given Arteta pause, the Ukrainian's ability to assist overload the midfield could ultimately win over if he is declared fit to start after missing time with an injury.