Chelsea’s final game before the international break is on Sunday at home against London rivals Arsenal. Chelsea will play Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this weekend in a massive Premier League duel between fourth and fifth place in the division table. Why Are the Premier League Atmospheres So Bad? The Blues enter Sunday after defeating Noah 8-0 at home in the Conference League group stages the day before. On Wednesday night, Arsenal were defeated 1-0 away to Inter Milan in the Champions League group stages. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains hopeful that his team can defeat Chelsea.

Chris Sutton predicts Chelsea vs Arsenal – but with a twist. The BBC pundit Chris Sutton’s weekly Premier League pre-match predictions are generally pretty firm, but he recently made a novel forecast for Chelsea versus Arsenal.

Interestingly, he believes the Blues will win at home if Cole Palmer is fit and in the starting lineup. If not, he believes it will be a draw. “I don’t do this very often but my prediction here rests on whether one player is fit or not – Chelsea’s Cole Palmer,” said Sutton to BBC Sport. “Arsenal are concerned about Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard will be rusty after returning from a hiatus with a brief cameo against Inter Milan in midweek, but Palmer holds the key.

“You’re asking me to make a forecast, but I’m not sure which gun I have – a bazooka or a water pistol. “Palmer has missed training this week due to an injury sustained against Manchester United last weekend, and Chelsea will need him to win this match. Despite Palmer’s absence, I doubt Arsenal will win. “2-1 if Palmer is on the Chelsea squad. 1-1 if he isn’t; the final forecast will be made when the line-ups are confirmed before kick-off.” Chelsea has a dreadful six-game losing streak against Arsenal. In their previous six Premier League meetings with their London neighbours, the Blues have won one, drawn once, and lost four times.

All eyes will be on Chelsea’s team sheet on Sunday to see if Palmer is included. The 22-year-old attacker sustained an injury in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United, but will he be fit to play Arsenal? According to a Chelsea insider, Palmer is expected to be fit to face Arsenal, despite missing training sessions earlier this week. The news that Palmer has been named to Lee Carsley’s England team for the upcoming internationals will give optimistic Blues fans hope. He was also in the stands at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, supporting his Conference League teammates.

As mentioned above, Palmer has been on fire in Chelsea’s league games this season. He’ll be anxious to provide a statement performance against Arsenal, however. Darren Bent has encouraged Chelsea playmaker Palmer to perform more in important games, which don’t get much bigger than this weekend.