Chelsea v Arsenal

Barclays Premier League CHELSEA v ARSENAL

Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Saturday, 29 October
Kick-off: 1245 BST              





TEAM NEWS

Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba, who is suspended following his dismissal against QPR.
Fernando Torres could return to the starting XI after completing a three-game domestic ban, while Ramires is fit after a knee injury.
Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen could make his first Premier League appearance since August.
Fellow defender Carl Jenkinson faces a fitness test but Kieran Gibbs is still unavailable.


MATCH REVIEW

For Chelsea this game comes a month later than they may have liked.
The Arsenal side they will face at Stamford Bridge is much improved from the ragged, confidence-shorn outfit that had plunged the Gunners into crisis by mid-September.
Beaten by Liverpool, humiliated by Manchester United, and then outmanoeuvred by Blackburn, Arsene Wenger's team found themselves charting unfamiliar territory in the bottom half of the Premier League.
But since that defeat at Ewood Park they have made steady progress towards respectability. Robin van Persie's goals - six in his last four league games - have been no small part of that improvement.
However, they are on a poor run away from home and, as restorative as victories against Bolton, Sunderland and Stoke have been, beating Chelsea on their own patch is a completely different prospect.
Andre Villas Boas's side have gone about their business quietly but effectively so far this season. Defeat against QPR was an unexpected setback, but even with nine men they could still have salvaged a point.
Chelsea still start as favourites but they will have to curb the indiscipline that saw them pick up two red cards and another seven bookings at Loftus Road.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Arsenal's 3-1 win the last time the two sides met, at the Emirates in December 2010, was their first in six games against Chelsea.
• Chelsea have lost just three of their last 19 games in all competitions against the Gunners.
• Arsenal have lost their last two Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge - both by a 2-0 scoreline.

Chelsea

• Chelsea have gone eight Premier League games without a clean sheet for the first time since September 2003, when the run was nine.
• They are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home London derby matches, winning each of the last nine. Their last loss was a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in November 2008.
• Andre Villas Boas's side have won all four Premier League home matches this season.
• Since making his debut in February, David Luiz has conceded more penalties (3) than any other Premier League player.
• Chelsea's next goal will be their 6,000th in league football.
• Ashley Cole, who has played every minute of Chelsea's Premier League games this season, is set to make his 450th club career start.

Arsenal

• Arsenal are on a run of eight away league games without a win - their longest in the Premier League.
• Robin Van Persie has 25 goals in 26 Premier League games in 2011 - more prolific than any other player.
• If Arsenal lose it will equal their worst run of away defeats (4) in the Premier League.
• The Gunners' win against Stoke was the first time they have collected back-to-back victories in the Premier League since February.
• This will be Wenger's 30th Premier League match against Chelsea, having won 13 and lost seven of the previous 29.
• The Gunners have conceded more goals from free-kicks (5) than any other Premier League side this season.