Arsenal vs Chelsea: Premier League – prediction, teams, lineups

Who: Arsenal vs Chelsea What: English Premier League Where: Emirates Stadium, London, United Kingdom When: Sunday, August 6, at 2pm (13:00 GMT). How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up ahead of our live coverage from 10:00 GMT.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is relishing ‌the prospect of facing longtime friend Xabi Alonso in the Premier League for the first time ⁠when the defending champions ⁠host Chelsea on Sunday.

Both sides have made perfect starts to the season, with Arsenal and Chelsea both taking six points from their opening two matches.

Arteta and Alonso, both 44, grew ⁠up together in Spain’s Basque Country and have remained close throughout their playing and coaching careers.

The pair first faced each other as managers in a friendly in 2024 when Alonso was in charge of Bayer ⁠Leverkusen, but Sunday’s encounter will be their first meeting in England’s top flight.

“I am really happy for him. It’s incredible because obviously we have the history we have together,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“To be facing each other at such a level and with the responsibility we have managing some of the top clubs in the country ‌is a really beautiful thing to experience.”

Chelsea’s attack has been impressive early in the campaign, with Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer all finding form in front of goal, but Arteta said controlling the flow of the game would be crucial.