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Arsenal travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday after losing their last two games in all competitions
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Former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United manager Harry Redknapp believes Chelsea will edge Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal and has claimed ‘something’s not right’ with the Gunners after a dip in form.
Mikel Arteta’s side lost 1-0 at Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, just a few days on from losing by the same scoreline against Newcastle United in the Premier League. In their last six games, Arsenal have won two - which came against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and against Championship side Preston in the Carabao Cup. They have lost to Bournemouth and drawn with Liverpool in that six-match run.
One player who has been missing for most of those games is Martin Odegaard after he injured his ankle on international duty with Norway back in September. He made his return at the San Siro after coming off the bench. Redknapp believes the momentum is with Chelsea, however, but feels that their hopes of adding to Arsenal’s woes will hinge on the fitness of Cole Palmer.
Looking ahead to the clash at Stamford Bridge, Redknapp said: “Wow, what a big game this is. Chelsea weren’t great at Old Trafford but the goal from Moises Caicedo was superb and so too was his overall performance. I still think this Chelsea side need a bit of work at the back, they ship too many chances and goals for my liking.
“Something’s not right at Arsenal. I know Martin Odegaard is a brilliant footballer, but they should still be able to create chances and score goals without him. They haven’t really looked like scoring in these last few games.
“Odegaard came on against Inter in midweek, so he might be good to go from the start here. I just think Chelsea might edge this; they seem to have a bit more momentum than Arsenal. A lot of Chelsea’s hopes will ride on the fitness of Cole Palmer. He was on the receiving end of a shocking challenge last week, so I hope he’s fit here.”
Chelsea are set to make a late call on Palmer ahead of the weekend, with Enzo Maresca providing an update on Friday. He said: “Cole is getting better, but because he can walk and have dinner doesn’t mean he is completely fit. He is getting better and we still have two days to prepare for the game. Hopefully, we can have him for a session - at least on Saturday - and then we take a decision.”
Arsenal are also waiting on some major injury news with Declan Rice a doubt after missing the trip to Italy in midweek after breaking his toe against Newcastle. Arteta said: “I have to be very vague on that one because there’s no clarity on whether he’s going to be fit for the weekend. What I can say is that he hasn't trained yet and it is not clear whether he’s going to be available or not to play.”