No doubt what the biggest game in world football is this weekend- the London derby that sees Arsenal host Chelsea FC. Whenever these two London rivals clash, it’s always a big deal, worthy of the Sunday matinee slot that it typically almost always occupies. The hosts have five injury fitness concerns for this one, and that list includes the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Ben White.
The skipper, Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard is back from injury, so that’s obviously a great thing for the Gunners.
Chelsea FC at Arsenal FYIs
Kickoff TTime: 4.30 p.m. BST, Sunday, March 1
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea FC Arsenal
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC 18% Draw 23% Arsenal 59%
Premier League Standings, Form: Chelsea FC 5th 45 pts WWWDD Arsenal 1st 61 pts WWDDW
Gunners Team News
Let’s start with Saka, who had to be subbed off in the North London Derby win after hurting his ankle. While it looked painful, there are hopes that it’s not a huge deal given that he was able to walk off without help, and he was seen moving around okay in the victory celebrations at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Moving on to Havertz, he returned after a long injury layoff, but then got hurt again and has since missed the last four matches, but there was hope he was going to be fit for the NLD. It obviously didn’t happen, but there is hope here that he could face his former team on Sunday.
“We tried with Kai, it was too early unfortunately,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this past weekend.
Moving on to White, he missed out last weekend, due to an unspecified injury that he suffered in training. Arteta says that it’s just a minor little thing, so if the party line is to believed, he should be fine to feature here. Max Dowman could be returning soon, but likely not in this game while Mikel Merino (both ankle) is out for the season.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.