Ahead of this weekend's London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal, Chelsea manager Graham Potter has spoken on the players who will not feature through injury, and what Chelsea have to do to match Arsenal's "intensity'.
Missing Out
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Potter confirmed that Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka will miss out, but that Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic is in contention. On Chilwell, who picked up an injury in his side's midweek victory against Dinamo Zagreb, Potter said:
"He feels okay but is obviously aware of the injury and we need to let the swelling settle down and hence the delay with the scan. We'll know more after that.
"I wouldn’t say he fears the worst but we all saw the nature of the injury. I can’t say it looks positive but until we get the scan it's difficult to say."
Chilwell and England manager Gareth Southgate will be monitoring the situation and hoping that his injury is not as bad as feared but Potter did admit that his left-back was "upset" to be in this situation again following a serious knee injury last season.
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bakayo Saka were likely to miss the trip across London due to injury.
Aubameyang Attacks
Former Arsenal turned Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a lot to say about Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta since leaving the Emirates Stadium and will be looking forward to having his first opportunity to play against them since his departure. At his press conference, Potter touched on the significance for Aubameyang himself but was hoping that the game would not be about the Chelsea number nine.
"It's a London derby, two good teams," Potter said. "Arsenal are doing really well and the history makes it an interesting one for Auba. But the past is the past as far as we're concerned."
He added: "I don't think we should make it about him. He is an important part of the team for us but it takes everybody, not just one person. I understand the interest around him because it's Arsenal.
"I think he's looking forward to the game, excited for it."
Arsenal manager Arteta also spoke out about his former striker, saying,
"We made decisions. We discussed things and we made a clear decision between all of us."
But he recognises that Aubameyang still poses a threat to his side and that he was a good signing for Chelsea: "He's very dangerous. You know, if Auba's got something it's the ability to put the ball in the back of the net and he's going to be doing that until the day that he decides he's had enough of football."
Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny went one further when discussing his former teammate, stating that "We don't allow big egos," he said. "This is the dressing room we have now. Everyone loves each other and everyone works for each other.
Fast and Furious?
The match against Arsenal is Chelsea's final home fixture before the Fifa World Cup 2022 and Potter knows how important the derby is to the club's Stamford Bridge supporters. Chelsea have won just one of their last six games to their north London rivals, picking up four defeats in that time. Potter knows his side must do better, saying:
“Very [important we match their intensity]. If you don’t do that in any game, it will be a challenge for us,” Potter said at his pre-match press conference. “It was a unique situation at the weekend. Now we have to learn from that and be ready for a London derby."
“A special game, an exciting game. We have to be ready to play the football that can get us a result.”
Mikel the Manager
On his opposite number in the away dugout, Potter was full of praise, singling out the club's successful recruitment, he said:
“They’ve recruited well in the summer. [Oleksandr] Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus know what you need to do to win and they’ve also carried on their idea. It’s a really good example of how success can come.
“He’s had to face some pressure from the outside, but the club have stayed supportive and stuck to their ideas.
Whilst Potter has the greatest respect for Arteta, he is focused on his own squad and believes that the Chelsea home crowd can give his team the extra edge as they seek to beat their rivals to the three points available.
“It’s a London derby and anything can happen in the game. It’s that type of occasion.
“We want to be positive, play well, be on the front foot and get the crowd involved in the game. They’re our 12th player and that’s important for us.”