London Derby Lights Up This Weekend’s Premier League Action

SuperSport viewers on DStv can look forward to a classic Premier League rivalry, as Arsenal plays host to Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on the evening of Sunday 22 August 2021.

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This early-season London derby will light up the Premier League’s weekend action, with Arsenal and Chelsea set to have a true test of where they stand in just the second round of the 2021-22 campaign.

The Gunners are looking to build back to a place where they can challenge for a top-four finish, while the Blues’ ambitions include a return to title-winning form – especially after the UEFA Champions League success they enjoyed just a few months ago.

“We have a complicated and challenging project at the club, but we must always understand and respect the demands of the supporters,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “Big matches like these should bring the best out of our players.”

Chelsea boss Tomas Tuchel, meanwhile, expects big things from his team: “Well we want to win, we want to compete and of course we want to be successful. This is in Chelsea’s nature and of course, we are up for the challenge. We will try to compete for every title in every competition we enter but I also think it will be a huge step forward if we can maintain the same quality, attitude, and effort that we showed last season.”

Key players

Bukayo Saka – Despite the pain of his Euro 2020 final penalty miss, English attacking midfielder Bukayo Saka is regarded as one of the Premier League’s brightest young stars. He’ll be looking to underline his status as arguably Arsenal’s best player with a powerful showing against the European champions Chelsea.

Kai Havertz – The versatile German attacker has truly found his feet at Chelsea after initially struggling in English football. Havertz’s keen eye for goal and assists mark him out as a mercurial attacking threat which the Arsenal defense will need to keep a firm lid on.

Head-to-head stats

In head-to-head stats, Arsenal and Chelsea have met in 203 matches across all competitions since their first meeting back in 1907. The Gunners have claimed 80 wins compared to 65 for the Blues, while 58 games have been drawn.

Arsenal completed a Premier League ‘double’ over Chelsea last season, winning 3-1 at the Emirates in December 2020 and 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in May 2021.

Battles to watch

Mikel Arteta v Tomas Tuchel – The Arsenal manager got the better of his Chelsea counterpart when the teams last met. However, Tuchel will fancy his side’s chances of controlling the game against the Gunners and coming away with three valuable points from their trip to North London.

Emile Smith Rowe v Jorginho – Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe is one of the brightest prospects for the club, but he’ll have his work cut out to be the game’s conductor with the Blues brilliant passer Jorginho around.

Ben White v Timo Werner – Arsenal paid no less than £50 million to bring Ben White to the club from Brighton & Hove Albion, and one of the 23-year-old defender’s first major tests will come against ‘the speed demon’ Timo Werner in this London derby.

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