Chelsea v Arsenal... Full Preview + Match Stats.

Chelsea welcome North London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday looking to put a poor run of home results behind them which culminated in a draw against Southampton on Wednesday. Chelsea have failed to win their last three games at the Bridge in all competitions, with their last home victory being the 8-0 mauling handed out to Aston Villa on 23rd December 2012.

Rafa Benitez’s first 16 games in charge have been the worst of any Chelsea manger under the Roman Abramovich regime. Rafa has only won 59% of the 16 games while losing 4 of them, with the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho being top of the table with an 81% win rate, losing only 1 game. Benitez has recruited the services of Demba Ba, exploiting the £7.5 million buyout clause in the Senegalese’s Newcastle contract to help turn the Blues fortunes around.

Arsenal fans were delighted this week to hear the news that Theo Walcott had signed a new 3 year contract, reportedly worth £100,000 a week. It puts to an end an anxious few months for fans who were worried that Walcott would walk away from the club for nothing in the summer. Now that Walcott has signed, he can now push on and cement his position as Arsenal’s no. 1 striker.

Chelsea will be looking for nothing less than three points on Sunday to keep their slim hopes of challenging league leaders Man Utd alive. The Blues currently sit 13 points adrift from United and could fall 16 points behind, kissing goodbye any chance of the title. The same could be said for Arsenal as they currently sit in sixth place, 6 points from a Champions League place, although they do have a game in hand which they play on Wednesday against West Ham United. Both teams go into the game not in great form having won only one of their last three league games.

Chelsea will be without John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, who are both at the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria, and Oriel Romeu who is a long term absentee. John Terry is now fit and available for selection but Benitez may feel that the game is too big to throw Terry in from the beginning.

For Arsenal, they will be without Gervinho as he is also away with the Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations, and Mikel Arteta who was confirmed as being out of action for up to four weeks with a calf injury. Thomas Rosicky has been rated doubtful for Sunday, while Laurent Koscielny is available after serving his one match ban.

"The team are scoring a lot of goals, as we expect them to, but we have to manage this advantage in a better way," interim Blues boss Benitez said.
"We have to be more clinical. We have to defend as a unit, as a team, be more compact and not give them any hope they can score."
The Spaniard is, however, confident the occasion of hosting their bitter rivals will see his side rise to the challenge, adding: "It's always important when you have a draw at home to have a big challenge ahead of you.
"To have Arsenal is a very good thing for me and the players. They are a rival who are close to us. We have to use that as a positive.
"They are close (in the league) and if we win there'll be a big difference."

Wenger, though, insists when they head to the dugout, all coaches have the same agenda.
'I feel sympathy for every manager until the day I play against him. Then the sympathy goes and comes back after the game - not always straight after the game, sometimes it is some time later. We are all in the same position," said the Gunners boss, himself not immune from criticism from the Arsenal fans this season.
'We know we are in a fragile job and that the confidence is very important, but it is a job where you have to take care of your own team.'

Wenger, however, is expecting an open encounter.
'Both teams have attacking styles. Chelsea is today a team who has many good attacking players so it should be a game with goal chances," he said.
'We will not change our style too much, so we will try to attack and try to create chances.'

Head-to-head

• Chelsea have lost as many home games as they have won against Arsenal in the Premier League (W7, D6, L7).
• The Gunners won 5-3 on their last visit to Stamford Bridge in October 2011, with Robin van Persie scoring twice in the last five minutes to complete a hat-trick.
• However, Chelsea have lost only four of their last 22 meetings with Arsenal in all competitions (W12, D6, L4).

Chelsea

• Chelsea have won five and lost only one of their last seven league fixtures, scoring 20 goals.
• Chelsea have only won one of their six domestic games under Rafa Benitez at Stamford Bridge, while they have won their last six away matches under him.
• They have kept an unsurpassed nine clean sheets in the Premier League.
• Frank Lampard has scored seven goals in his last nine Premier League starts. He is now the second highest goalscorer in the club's history with 194 goals - eight behind Bobby Tambling.

Arsenal

• Arsenal have fewer points after 21 matches than in any other season since Arsene Wenger took charge in 1996.
• They are unbeaten in their last five Premier League away matches and have only conceded nine away goals all season - the equal-fewest in the division with Swansea.
• Wenger's side have conceded the highest proportion (58%) of first-half goals in the top flight this season, according to Opta.
• The Gunners have yet to lose a game in which they took the lead, winning seven and drawing two.
• Theo Walcott has already scored a career-high 14 goals for the season in all competitions. Eight of those goals have come in the league - one shy of his best-ever tally in 2010-11.