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Chelsea will face off against an unbeaten Arsenal in Matchday 9 action as the Blues look to right the ship after a rough start to the campaign. Sitting in 11th place, a win could take Mauricio Pochettino’s side into the top 10 for just the second time this season. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon from Stamford Bridge and you can catch all the action on NBC with a livestream option on Peacock.
Here’s what you need to know for the match, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Chelsea v. Arsenal
Date: Saturday, October 21
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC
Livestream: Peacock
Moneyline odds
Chelsea: +210
Draw: +255
Arsenal: +130
Moneyline pick: Arsenal +130
The Blues got off to an atrocious start this season, winning just once in their first six EPL outings. Since then, they’ve begun to turn things around, winning their last three matches across all competitions with two of those in EPL play. Sure, they were against Fulham and Burnley but it’s a good turn for Pochettino’s side, who have also been dealing with a series of injuries.
Arsenal are still flying high, unbeaten on the campaign and tied with Tottenham on 20 points at the top of the table. The Gunners recently jumped ahead of Manchester City with a huge 1-0 win over the reigning champions in Matchday 8, courtesy of an 86th-minute goal from Gabriel Martinelli. Mikel Arteta’s side will be anxious to get back to the top of the table and hang on for a title after losing the No. 1 spot in the final stretch of last season as Man City overtook the Gunners and secured the EPL title.
Chelsea will be without a slew of players, including Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Christopher Nkunku (knee), Reece James (hamstring), and Wesley Fofana (ACL). On the Gunners’ side, leading scorer Bukayo Saka has been out with a hamstring injury since their Champions League clash with Lens. The 22-year-old winger also withdrew from England’s matches this month while missing the match with City last week as well. He’s expected to be available for Arteta at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
While Chelsea’s two latest wins show some promise for the Blues, they’re about to run into a well-oiled machine with Arsenal coming to town. Expect the Gunners to take all three points in this one.