The Athletic FC

Welcome to the preview from the Athletic FC.

It's the show where we get you set for the weekend's Premier League action.

This week, we're focusing on the top two tussle.

It's Chelsea versus Arsenal.

And joining me today, we have Mark Critchley.

Welcome back, Mark. Hi, thanks for having me. Good to be. It is our pleasure. And making her preview debut, Kerris Jones. How are you doing, Kerris? I'm good, thank you. Thank you for having me. You are both most welcome. As well as Sunday Showdown, we're going to take a look over some of the other key games taking place on Match Day 13 in the Premier League.

But first, let's get to our feature presentation.

Chelsea have won just one of their last 11 Premier League games against Arsenal, and they are winless in the last seven.

They trail the gunners by six points going into Sunday, so could find themselves three behind or nine adrift by full time.

Shout out to our old friend mathematics therefore providing the requisite jeopardy.

Critch, it's so rare we can use the phrase six-pointer without the prefix relegation.

Which side's going to make the biggest statement here, do you think?

I'm going to take unbridge with that first point. I don't know don't think if we can use the phrase six point at the top end of the table, particularly in November. But, okay, let's just accept the premise of the question. I think if anybody's going to make a statement out of this game, it's going to be Chelsea. Like, what would happen if Arsenal won this game what would we learn what we know we'd know that Arsenal are the best

team in the league that they're overwhelming favorites for the title and we know that already

if Chelsea can win this game they cut the gap down to three points and I think we start to have

a serious you know thoughts at least in consideration as to whether there is a title race. I hope there's a title race because I feel like maybe three or four weeks ago it felt like there would be one. Then we saw Liverpool fall away. We've seen City stumble a little bit. City would be there and thereabouts. But Chelsea have kind of come up on the rails over the last few weeks as a potential contender. I do think they've had a relatively kind of run of late, Burnley, Wolves, and then even before that, this version of Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. And so you have to take that into account. But if they manage to pick up three points on Sunday against undoubtedly the best team in the league the toughest test that we'll face so far this season, well then everybody's going to have to sit up and take notice. So it's absolutely Chelsea with everything to play for on Sunday. What do you reckon? Kerris, you've seen quite a bit of Chelsea lately. Do you think they can rattle Arsenal here? I think they've got the potential to, and they've come off, like I'm sure we'll talk about probably one of their their best results of the season against Barcelona in the Champions League but I tend to agree with Critch like for

Arsenal a win is is expected they're definitely the favourites for the game based on form based on

the fact that Chelsea haven't really had to face other Champions League chase inside so much yet with

the exception of, as

surreal as it is to say, Sunderland. But yeah, I think that in a sense, this is almost a

free hit for Enzo Moreska as long as Chelsea are not humiliated. I think a defeat would be

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