Chelsea vs Arsenal - as it happened: Arsene Wenger's men hold 10-man Blues to goalless draw
Re-live all the action from Stamford Bridge
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea host rivals Arsenal today as Antonio Conte’s men look to continue their winning ways after losing their opening fixture of the season to Burnley.
Gary Cahill is expected to return to the side having served out his three-match suspension though Danny Drinkwater remains sidelined with a calf injury.
Arsenal will be bidding to build upon last week’s convincing win against Bournemouth. Arsene Wenger’s side will be without Theo Walcott who sustained a calf problem in the Europa League.
What time is it?
Kick-off is at 1.30pm on Sunday 17 September at Stamford Bridge.
Where can I watch it?
Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will be broadcasting the game. Coverage starts at 12.30pm. Or, follow live updates from our live blog above.
It’s a big game for?
Arsene Wenger. After a shaky start to the season, the Arsenal manager could really do with a morale-boosting win here at the Bridge today. Their form on the road against their top-six rivals suggests otherwise but football has a knack of throwing up surprises and Wenger will be confident his team could snatch a result against Conte’s Blues.
Player to watch?
Eden Hazard. Who else? The Belgian has fully recovered from a fractured ankle and, although he starts on the bench once again, there's no doubt he'll be brought into the fray at some point. His home performance against Arsenal last season was a sight to behold so expect the player to be looking to repeat those feats.
Head-to-head?
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1, FA Community Shield, August 2017
Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1, FA Cup, May 2017
Chelsea 3 Arsenal 1, Premier League, February 2017
Form?
Chelsea: WWWWL
Arsenal: WWLLW
Odds?
Chelsea to win: 4/5
Draw: 3/1
Arsenal to win: 7/2
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of what is truly a Super Sunday in the Premier League.
Chelsea v Arsenal - 1.30pm
Manchester United v Arsenal - 4pm
We start at Stamford Bridge for a London derby of huge proportions. It's Chelsea against Arsenal, and we will have news of the two teams shortly.
It's a landmark lunchtime for Arsene Wenger.
Is he due a Premier League win at Stamford Bridge? It's been a while.
That's because Chelsea have won the last five meetings between the clubs in West London by an aggregate scoreline of 15-2.
Although it's not just Arsenal that the Blues hand out a Stamford Bridge smashing to...
However, Burnley have already shown the rest of the Premier League that Chelsea are fallible on their own turf, clocking up a memorable 3-2 win at the Bridge on the opening day of the season: a game that saw both Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off.
Perhaps the rest of the Premier League shouldn't get carried away just yet, however. Since that shock defeat the reigning champions have clocked up four straight wins in all competitions, scoring 12 goals in the process.
Let's have a more in-depth look at how the two teams line up at Stamford Bridge...
...where Chelsea have made two changes to the team that won 2-1 at Leicester in their last Premier League outing. Gary Cahill returns after his three-match suspension to captain the side from central defence while Willian comes in for Tiemoue Bakayoko in midfield. Former Arsenal hero Cesc Fabregas starts a third consecutive league game under Antonio Conte's management for the first time. Despite his return as a substitute in the Champions League on Tuesday, Eden Hazard is still only on the bench.
Also on the bench is Alexis Sanchez despite 90 minutes and a goal against Cologne in Thursday's Europa League match at the Emirates. It means Danny Welbeck continues behind Alexandre Lacazette, but Mesut Ozil is absent with a knee problem; Alex Iwobi replaces the German in an attacking midfield position. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech is back at Stamford Bridge where he spent 11 years in Chelsea blue.
Chelsea: Courtois, Moses, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Alonso, Kante, Fabregas, Willian, Pedro, Morata
Subs: Caballero, Rudiger, Christensen, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Hazard, Batshuayi
Arsenal: Cech, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Welbeck, Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Sanchez, Walcott, Giroud
Referee: Michael Oliver
Petr Cech returns to the club for whom he made 333 Premier League appearances.
Arsenal were destroyed at Anfield in their last away game, but Arsene Wenger has suggested that his side can use that defeat as inspiration for this afternoon.
Every occasion is an opportunity to change history when it's been a negative time. We know we can be strong away from home.
Meanwhile, Wenger's opposite number this afternoon, Antonio Conte, has been explaining his reasoning for leaving Chelsea's main man on the bench.
When you have seven games in 21 days, it's important to have a plan but Eden Hazard is very close.
To a backdrop of Harry J. Allstars' The Liquidator and a smattering of unenthusiastic applause, the two teams appear from the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
A home win this afternoon would lift Chelsea above Manchester United and into second place, for a couple of hours at least. A much-needed away victory, however, and Arsenal will join their opponents on nine points from the opening five games.
Kick-off is next.
KICK-OFF: Here's something retro, a two-man kick-off! Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata get the game going and immediately set at Arsenal, sensing further away-day fragility in the Gunners ranks. The visiting supporters will be hoping that the nostalgia doesn't end with the start and that their side can register a first victory at Stamford Bridge since Robin van Persie bagged a hat-trick in a memorable 5-3 win in 2011.
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