Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, has admitted that his team has no control over the Premier League title race as Manchester City has overtaken them at the top of the table. City’s advantage is now firm, and Arteta would need them to drop points in their final round of games to revive the title race. The Gunners will host Chelsea on May 2, and the visitors head across London on the back of five consecutive losses since Frank Lampard’s return to Stamford Bridge.
Arteta needs his players in top form to stand a chance of denting City‘s push for a trophy treble this season. However, injuries to key players have impacted Arsenal, with French international William Saliba still missing for the hosts. Meanwhile, Lampard’s injury list is longer than Arteta’s, with England star Reece James ruled out until next season, and Kalidou Koulibaly, Mason Mount, Reece James, and Marc Cucurella absent for this game.
The projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of this Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on May 2 are below. Injured players are highlighted for each team:
Arsenal starting 11 (4-3-3): Ramsdale (GK) — White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka — Saka, Jesus, Trossard
– Injured: Saliba, Tomiyasu, Elneny
– Suspended: None
Saliba’s continued absence means Rob Holding will keep his place in defence, but Leandro Trossard could rotate into the attack, in place of Gabriel Martinelli.
Chelsea starting 11 (3-4-3): Kepa (GK) — Fofana, Silva, Badiashile — Loftus-Cheek, Fernandez, Kante, Chilwell — Sterling, Havertz, Felix
– Injured: Broja, Koulibaly, James, Cucurella, Mount, Bettinelli
– Suspended: None
Lampard is likely to keep faith with the majority of the starting side, which lost 2-0 to Brentford last time out, but the fit again Benoit Badiashile and Kai Havertz could be handed a start.
The UK’s Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will screen the match live, while audiences in the United States can view it on the NBC USA Network, with streaming options available via Fubo. Spanish language options are available on Universo and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo. Viewers in Canada can follow every Premier League game’s live stream on Fubo, with Optus Sport in Australia and Sky Sports NOW in New Zealand among the other channels airing the match.
In conclusion, Arteta’s Arsenal has a massive task ahead of them to revive the Premier League title race and bring an end to Manchester City‘s dominance this season. With injuries to key players, the Gunners have had to dig deeper into their squad to maintain their top-four status. However, with City three points ahead of Manchester United with a game in hand, the task is challenging. It will be fascinating to see if Arsenal can take advantage of City slipping during their final round of games or if the title race will be firmly in City‘s control after May 2.
