- Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has disagreed with his Chelsea counterpart ahead of their clash on November 30
- The two sides will meet in a top-of-the-table clash as the race for the Premier League title continues to take shape
- Arsenal are the favourites to win the title this season, with Chelsea and Manchester City closely watching
Arsenal’s head coach, Mikel Arteta, has disagreed with Enzo Maresca’s comments ahead of their meeting on Sunday evening.
Source: UGC
Arteta will take his league-leading side across London to face their rivals as they look to build on their impressive start to the season.
Chelsea and Manchester City, who beat Leeds United on Saturday, are considered the closest teams that could stop Arsenal’s quest to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
A win on Sunday at Stamford Bridge will see the Gunners open a nine-point gap over the Blues after just 13 games.
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Are Chelsea in the title race?
Maresca has managed to turn Chelsea into a formidable side once again, as evidenced by the recent win over Barcelona.
The Italian has, however, refused to include his side in the title race conversation, insisting that it was still ‘too early’.
“For me, it’s very early. It’s too early in any case if we win or don’t win [against Arsenal]. It’s November, there are five or six months to go. It’s important where we are [in the table] in February and March, and we’ll see if we can achieve something important,” he said via Metro UK.
Mikel Arteta disagrees with Enzo Maresca
His comments were a stark contrast to Arteta’s, who firmly placed Chelsea as one of the candidates for the title.
“I think we are all there, and they are there because they fully deserve what they have done in the last few years,” he said when questioned about Chelsea.
Source: Twitter
“I think the squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have, it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.”
Chelsea had a brilliant run last season before falling off in December. They picked up the pace in late February to launch a late charge and qualify for the Champions League.
They finished 15 points behind winners Liverpool and only five behind their Sunday opponents.
Chelsea haven’t beaten Arsenal at Stamford Bridge since 2018, and both sides warmed up for the game with huge wins in the Champions League.
Chelsea vs Arsenal team news
Up to 9 players could miss the London derby due to fitness issues. Arsenal have a long list with Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard all doubts.
Gabriel Magalhaes is definitely out until mid-December after suffering an injury while on international duty.
However, both managers will be delighted with the returns of their star men, as both Cole Palmer and Martin Odegaard were passed fit to play.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
