Bad news for Arsenal ahead of London derby against Chelsea

By Roland Kesler SEP 12, 2017

Arsenal fans won’t be too pleased to see Chelsea’s line-up in their Champions League opener against Azerbaijani side Qarabag.

Chelsea won the Premier League last season without any European distractions – thanks to their 10th placed finish the season before.

With that in mind, Blues boss Antonio Conte has rested a number of key players on Tuesday ahead of Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal.

The Blues made the best possible start to Tuesday night’s game, as Champions League veteran Pedro Rodriguez opened the scoring early on.

Record signing Alvaro Morata is rested, giving Michy Batshuayi a chance to start. First-choice right-wingback Victor Moses is also on the bench, as is Tiemoue Bakayoko, David Luiz, and a fit-again Eden Hazard.

Europa League hangover

Given that they’re not playing the full 90 on Tuesday, Morata, Moses, Bakayoko, Luiz and Hazard will all be expected to start against Arsenal – a worrying prospect for the Gunners.

Arsenal begin their Europa League campaign on Thursday night against FC Koln.

With two days less to prepare, Arsene Wenger is likely to rotate his side heavily. The likes of Jack Wilshere and Reiss Nelson should start at the Emirates, allowing some key players the chance to rest before the Chelsea clash.