Arsenal v Chelsea: Sangare backs Gunners to extend Emirates dominance

Arsenal and Chelsea meet in one of the first major Premier League fixtures of the season on Sunday, with both sides boasting six points from their opening two matches.

The London derby will take place at Emirates Stadium at 15:30 GMT on 6 September 2026. Arsenal, the reigning champions, began their title defence with a 3-0 victory over Coventry before winning 1-0 away to Aston Villa. Chelsea have also made a perfect start, beating Fulham 3-2 and Brighton 4-3.

Mahamad Sangare, presenter of the sports debate programme La VAR on Burkina info TV, has provided his assessment and prediction for the match.

Arsenal arrive as defending champions

Arsenal ended a long wait for the Premier League title last season, winning the competition for the first time since 2004. Mikel Arteta’s side finished seven points clear of their nearest challengers after dominating the campaign.

The Gunners also reached the Champions League final, where they were beaten by PSG. Those achievements have strengthened Arsenal’s standing and made them the leading candidates to retain the league title.

Their opening results have supported that expectation. Coventry were beaten comfortably at the start of the campaign, while Arsenal followed that performance with a valuable away win at Aston Villa on Monday.

They had also already recorded a notable victory over Manchester City, beating them 3-0 in the Community Shield. Arsenal have kept clean sheets in both of their Premier League matches and will aim to maintain that defensive record against Chelsea.

The hosts have a psychological advantage in this fixture, having won their past five home meetings with Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are also unbeaten in their last 10 games against the Blues, with seven victories and three draws. The article’s statistical summary also records that sequence as eight wins and three draws.

Chelsea seeking to make a statement

Chelsea endured a disappointing previous campaign, finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing out on European football this season.

The club appointed Spanish manager Xabi Alonso in an attempt to rebuild the team. So far, the early signs have been encouraging. Chelsea edged past Fulham at Craven Cottage before beating Brighton 4-3 in front of their home supporters last weekend.

With six points and seven goals from their opening two league games, Chelsea travel to north London with confidence. A win would also end Arsenal’s recent control of the fixture and provide an early indication of the Blues’ ambitions under Alonso.

The two teams are therefore level at the top end of the early-season standings, unbeaten after two rounds and separated only by their respective results and goal records.

Squad changes and key players

Arsenal made several changes during the summer. The wingers Trossard, who moved to Besiktas, and Nwaneri, who joined Dortmund, have left the club, while Nelson is now without a club. Gabriel Jesus transferred to FC Barcelona.

In midfield, Norgaard moved to Everton and Fabio Vieira joined Hamburg. Kiwior, who spent last season on loan, completed a permanent move to Porto.

Arsenal retained defender Hincapie by exercising their purchase option from Leverkusen. The club also signed midfielder Guimaraes from Newcastle, Greek winger Tzolis from Club Bruges, defender Konsa from Aston Villa and French goalkeeper Meslier, who has arrived as a reserve.

Arteta will nevertheless have defensive problems to manage. Saliba and Timber are ruled out, while Mosquera went into the treatment room after suffering an injury in the previous league game.

Saka is expected to start after scoring twice in the opening two Premier League matches. Odegaard has also scored once in the competition, while Havertz and summer signing Tzolis are competing for places in the starting line-up.

Chelsea have also overseen a major turnover. Left-back Cucurella joined Real Madrid, while the central defenders Chalobah, Sarr, Adarabioyo, Disasi and Badiashile moved to Como, Real Sociedad, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Napoli respectively.

Goalkeepers Sanchez and Jorgensen have also departed for Como and Strasbourg. Further forward, Garnacho joined Aston Villa and Mudryk moved to Tottenham. Jackson, Guiu and Delap transferred to Aston Villa, Leipzig and Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea’s midfield saw Fernandez, Andrey Santos and Essugo leave for Manchester City, Manchester United and Strasbourg. Young winger George completed a permanent move to Everton.

The Blues recruited goalkeeper Martinez from Aston Villa, full-backs Palestra from Atalanta and Chavarria from Rayo, and defender Lacroix from Crystal Palace. Barco and Henderson strengthened the midfield, while Rogers, Quenda, Welbeck and Emegha were added in attack.

Palestra and Henderson are unavailable because of injuries. Chelsea will also be without Caicedo after the influential midfielder was hurt at the weekend.

Joao Pedro has made a strong start to the new campaign, scoring twice and supplying two assists in the Premier League. The Brazilian forward was not selected for the World Cup. He could again operate alongside Pedro Neto, who has scored once, Palmer, who has two goals and one assist, and Rogers, who has registered a goal and an assist.

Betting outlook

The statistical options listed for the match include an Arsenal win at 1.737, both teams to score at 1.71, a Chelsea victory at 5.43, more than 1.5 goals at 1.21 and an even total number of goals at 1.80.

Sangare’s main prediction is an Arsenal victory, priced at 1.737. The recommendation is based on the home advantage, Arsenal’s positive record against Chelsea and the champions’ strong opening to the season.

A draw at half-time is listed at 2.19, reflecting the possibility that both teams could begin cautiously despite Arsenal’s overall advantage. Arsenal to score at least once is priced at 1.13, with the Gunners’ recent attacking displays and range of match-winners cited as reasons for that selection.

The odds may change.

Arsenal will begin their Champions League campaign in Naples next Wednesday, adding another challenge to a demanding opening period of the season.