Arsenal face arguably their biggest test of the Premier League season so far on Sunday as they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in a London derby. Mikel Arteta's side have come out the other side of tough fixtures at Emirates Stadium against Liverpool and Spurs, but this will be their largest obstacle on their travels where they have notoriously struggled as of late.
In the Gunners last three away fixtures they have faced PSV, Southampton and Leeds, picking up a total of four points from a possible nine which has come from struggling to control the second half.
Arsenal's small squad depth has resulted in many first-team players such as Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli pulling double duty in both the Europa League and Premier League.
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The Gunners most recent result in Europe, a 2-0 loss against PSV, has meant top spot in their group is still on the line and with such an important league match at the weekend, it will no doubt be a difficult decision for Arteta over how much he rotates his team.
As well as being a London derby, the game has added spice to it as former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng will likely be lining up for the first time against the Gunners for his new club Chelsea.
The 33-year-old signed a new Arsenal contract after their 2020 FA Cup win but just 18 months later he was forced out of the club following a rather public falling out with Arteta. Barcelona acquired the services of the Gabonese international in January 2022 but following their acquisition of Robert Lewandowski in the summer, the Blues signed Aubamayeng on deadline day for £12million.
The former Borussia Dortmund forward has always been a controversial figure in the world of football and he has played up to that label again as he has appeared in a BT Sport video promoting Sunday's fixture saying: "Arsenal, nothing personal. I'm back, I'm blue, I'm ready. Let's go."
His words have not gone down too well and among those confused by his message was former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor who said on TalkSport: “I am surprised and I reckon BT Sport will have been buzzing to get him to say those words because it adds more spice to the game and more viewers, of course.
“It’s very strange, I think. You don’t need to do that. I’d never have done that. These things seem to work against you. I think it’s a silly thing to do and he could regret that.”
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