Chelsea’s energetic start to the season has had some pundits suggest that they can rival Arsenal (and perhaps Man City) for the Premier League title this season.

The attacking performances have been encouraging so far, with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro standing out and Morgan Rogers also enjoying a productive start to life at Stamford Bridge.

However, defensive issues still remain, with the Blues having conceded five goals in two league games under Xavi Alonso. Their possession stats also make for interesting reading, with a share of just 25% in the 4-3 win over Brighton last week.

Alonso has persisted with a 3-4-2-1 so far this season and while it looks well-equipped to get the best out of the attacking trio, it has so far proved porous in defence. Will that change today against the champions?

If the Blues can land an impressive away win this afternoon, it would certainly put them in title conversations.

The Gunners entered the new season as champions for the first time since 2004, and while a convincing win over newly promoted Coventry was a great start to 2026/27, the win over Aston Villa on Monday was decidedly less exciting.

The Gunners’ defensive solidity was the basis of their title win last season and it doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere this term, with two clean sheets from two so far as well as one in the Community Shield win over Man City.

And while the defence – and how the team defends as a whole – was once again praised at Villa Park, some will wonder whether the Gunners’ attacking struggles might persist against the top teams, both at home and on the continent.

Bukayo Saka has two goals from two so far and he’ll remain the key to Arsenal’s attack, but does he have enough support in Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis and Noni Madueke? Martin Odegaard and Bruno Guimaraes will contribute from midfield, but it still does not look like a free-flowing attacking side, and games like today will be a litmus test for how (and if) the attack has developed since last term.

Mikel Arteta gives Ezri Konsa his first Premier League start, then, with Cristhian Mosquera out injured. The biggest decision for Arteta was whether to start Christos Tzolis or Eberechi Eze on the left, and he has chosen the Greek winger who struggled last weekend at Aston Villa.

Xabi Alonso elects to go with Josh Acheampong and Wesley Fofana alongside Maxence Lacroix in a back three, which means Levi Colwill is on the bench. The rest of the Chelsea side is as expected, with Reece James and Romeo Lavia paired in midfield in the absence of Moises Caicedo.

Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill drop to the Chelsea bench with Josh Acheampong and Reece James brought in. We’ll see exactly where James is deployed, and what that may mean for Cole Palmer’s role.

Chelsea XI: Martinez; Acheampong, Fofana, Lacroix; James, Palmer, Lavia, Hato; Neto, Pedro, Rogers.

Ezri Konsa is promoted to the starting side by Arsenal having featured off the bench against Aston Villa. The front six remains intact with Bruno Guimaraes on the bench.

Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis.

The Blues had a predictably busy summer window after finishing 10th last season, with notable arrivals including Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Emi Martinez. Exits included Enzo Fernandez for £120m, as well as Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez (the latter on loan).

Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa - £117m

Maxence Lacroix, Crystal Palace - £52m

Emi Martinez, Aston Villa - £7.5m

Marco Palestra, Atalanta - £43m

Pep Chavarria, Rayo Vallecano - £16m

Valentin Barco, Brighton - £34m

Emmanuel Emegha, Strasbourg - £21m

Danny Welbeck, Brighton - £5m

Jordan Henderson, Brentford - free transfer

Enzo Fernandez, Man City - £120m

Nicolas Jackson, Aston Villa - £65m

Marc Cucurella, Real Madrid - £55m

Andrey Santos, Man Utd - £50m

Liam Delap, Nottingham Forest - £45m

Tosin Adarabioyo, Tottenham - £7m

Trevoh Chalobah, Como - £25m

Robert Sanchez, Como - loan

The champions were fairly busy in the summer window, with notable arrivals including Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis.

As for exits, the big name to leave the club was Gabriel Martinelli, though Gabriel Jesus’ move to Barcelona also caught some by surprise!

Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle - £75m

Christos Tzolis, Club Brugge - £34m

Ezri Konsa, Aston Villa - £51m

Piero Hincapie, Bayern Leverkusen - £34.5m

Islan Meslier, Leeds United - free

Gabriel Jesus, Barcelona - £12.8m

Gabriel Martinelli, Al Hilal - £60m

Jakub Kiwior, Porto - £17m

Leandro Trossard, Besiktas - £15m

Christian Norgaard, Everton - £7m

Arsenal are actually unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions against Chelsea, including nine in the Premier League. That’s their longest run of that type since a 19-match streak in the top-flight between 1995 and 2005.

Manchester City made it three wins from three to start the new Premier League season with success over Coventry yesterday, and this clash brings together the other two clubs yet to drop points. Fair play to Hull, too – seven points from three games represents a sterling start for a side tipped by many to struggle.

Mikel Arteta has seen Bukayo Saka’s determination to take his game to a new level during Arsenal’s Premier League title defence.

Saka was affected by an Achilles injury last season that also lingered into England’s World Cup campaign, limiting him to only three starts in their eight games.

The 25-year-old winger cut short his summer break to report early for club duty and that intent has been rewarded with goals against Coventry and Aston Villa – the first time he has scored in consecutive league matches since November 2024.

Even with Saka not firing on all cylinders in 2025-26, the Gunners won seven per cent more games if he was involved and his contribution becomes even more important after the club was unable to recruit an elite level forward during the transfer window.

Referencing the hunger being shown by Saka, boss Arteta said: “I noticed that straight away. The fact that he wanted to come in early was already a great sign and there was the way he prepared during the summer.

“Things happen in your career and then you need certain motivation, or a little pinch sometimes, to take it to a different level. And there are really good signs that Bukayo is giving to think that is going to be the case.”