English Premier
2026-09-06 - Arsenal vs Chelsea
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 6th September 2026 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
Arsenal
Being without two of the first choice back four would hurt most Premier League clubs, but Champions Arsenal have picked up consecutive clean sheets and maximum points. Some fans will feel the board could have added another top attacker to strengthen the squad further, but Mikel Arteta should be very happy with where his team stand and Arsenal remain favourites to retain the Premier League title.
A comfortable home win has been followed by a battling away win and The Gunners will now be returning to the Emirates Stadium for a big London derby. Last season the 15 home Premier League wins went a long way to helping Arsenal to the title and they have already secured a 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the 2026/27 season.
Arsenal have won all 3 games played this season without conceding a goal, while they have won all 7 Premier League games played since losing at Manchester City last April and only conceded once in that run. The side have won 5 in a row at the Emirates Stadium in all competitions and all with clean sheets too.
Cristhian Mosquera suffered an injury on Monday and is considered a doubt for this game meaning he will join Jurrien Timber and William Saliba on the sidelines.
Chelsea
A Monaco player turning down a move to Everton at the very last second has irritated the supporters in that part of Merseyside, but Chelsea are furious with Monaco as a club for what they perceive to be unprofessional conduct. After agreeing a deal to sign Lamine Camara, Chelsea finally allowed Enzo Fernandez to move to Chelsea, only for Monaco to then pull the plug when they felt the Balogun move to Everton was going to be completed.
It has left Chelsea a little short, but Xabi Alonso will note that his team are not involved in European Football this season and the new manager will not be looking to make excuses. Instead, Alonso has guided Chelsea to two entertaining Premier League wins over Fulham and Brighton and there is a real belief around Stamford Bridge that the board have finally identified the right manager to take them forward.
Chelsea had a pretty miserable end to the last campaign, which included losing the FA Cup Final to Manchester City, but scoring seven goals in beating Fulham and Brighton will help the early season mood. Of course the manager may be more concerned by the five goals Chelsea have conceded, while The Blues had lost 4 of 5 away games in all competitions before winning at Craven Cottage last month.
Moises Caicedo is hoping to be passed fit, but Marco Palesta remains a doubt.
Head to Head
Arsenal took four points from Chelsea in the Premier League and beat them in both Legs of the League Cup Semi Final last season.
The Gunners have won 5 in a row at the Emirates Stadium against this London rival.
Prediction
After the inconsistencies of recent seasons, Chelsea fans have to be really excited about the first month under Xabi Alonso.
The front three looked capable of being very special on paper, but football is played on grass and Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are showing how dangerous they can be there as well.
Keeping them three fit will be key for Chelsea, but this is also an early season challenge to see exactly where The Blues stand.
Losing Enzo Fernandez is a blow, but losing him without a replacement feels like it could be a problem until the January transfer window opens. Chelsea have been winning games without him, but Xabi Alonso is still working on the right balance for his team and facing the Champions at the Emirate Stadium is the sternest of examinations for any team to have to pass.
A couple of wins have been earned behind another couple of clean sheets and Arsenal have to be pretty happy with the first month of the 2026/27 season.
However, fans are always demanding more and still want to see the attacking players control matches and keep opponents under the cosh. Arsenal have been looking dangerous, but have not perhaps created the chances that some would expect.
The Gunners have enjoyed this match up though, especially at the Emirates Stadium, and they deserve to be favourites. Mikel Arteta's methods are not only more settled than Xabi Alonso's at the respective clubs, but the Arsenal players will believe that touch more than Chelsea in a big game environment having experienced the successes under Arteta.
It may come in time for Chelsea too, but in early September 2026, that may be a little too soon and Arsenal should be confident they can score once or twice against this defence that has conceded five goals already in the Premier League.
The respective quality of the defences should ultimately make the difference and Arsenal can maintain their 100% record in a tight, competitive win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
