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Palmer Unavailable: Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Arsenal for April 23

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | Last updated 4/22/24

This is a Chelsea predicted lineup for their cross-London trip to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal in the Premier League. The Blues are coming off a crushing defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup but remain undefeated in the league since February 4.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Arsenal in Premier League Action

How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently

Djordje Petrović has been the mainstay in goals since making his debut in December. The back four has seen the return of Thiago Silva alongside Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, and Malo Gusto.

Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are the first choice defensive midfield pairing. Conor Gallagher has slot in when needed during a brief absence from Fernández. Nicolas Jackson has remained the number one strike option with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Gallagher playing as the attacking midfield trio.

Chelsea Recent Form and Tactics

Mauricio Pochettino has used a 4-2-3-1 for almost the entire season. Results have been mixed with some wins, some draws, and a defeat to City being their most recent run. The team are undefeated in the league since a loss to Wolves in February but a lot of that has featured draws against weaker teams.

A clean sheet against Everton marked just the third occurrence of such in 2024. Defending remains one of the major issues this squad faces. Goalscoring largely hasn’t been an issued but against top teams like the Citizens or Liverpool they have struggled to be clinical, which doesn’t bode well for a trip to Arsenal.

Chelsea Injuries to Consider

After some brief optimism caused by a shrinking injury list, things have returned to normal with the latest update from the club. Three new players are on the list with Palmer, Gusto, and Ben Chilwell sidelined for a variety of reasons. The 20-goal attacker is only absent “due to illness” per the injury update.

In slightly positive news, Christopher Nkunku, Robert Sanchez, and Lesley Ugochukwu are in partial team training but likely aren’t fit for this contest. Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, and Romeo Lavia remain absent.