New 'player', triple injury boost, no James - 4 things spotted in Chelsea training for Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino and Mikel Arteta are set to meet as managers for the first time on Saturday. Four years ago when the current Chelsea head coach last took on Arsenal he was unbeaten in three games against the Gunners, only losing one of his last three fixtures with them.

Overall he has a relatively strong record, only losing three of 13 games as Spurs manager against the north London rivals. He comes into this clash on the back foot, something unimaginable to most when he was sacked in 2019.

Since that moment, completely unrelated of course, Chelsea have won just two games against Arsenal (since Poch was sacked by Spurs). Their recent record of six losses in seven games and no home win over the Gunners since 2018 has seen it become one of the most one-sided fixtures, especially towards the top of the table.

Pochettino will be keen to land the first punch in this new rivalry though, one that feels steeped in contentious moments despite never crossing paths. Here they are and it will be an acid test of just how far the two sides have moved on, largely in opposite directions.

The preparation has been far from ideal too. «To improve players, try to recover players from injury in two weeks, we're going to spend working in the training ground,» the Blues boss said when asked what his plans were for the most recent international break.

«Of course different mood from the last time, last month. With a victory, it is much better. I think pushing, keep pushing and working hard to try and be better.» In reality there have been returning players, injury worries and something that from the outside looks extremely unsettled ahead of such a big game.

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