In August 2021, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea beat Arsenal with contemptuous ease at the Emirates. Since that 2-0 victory, in which Chelsea’s new signing Romelu Lukaku beasted Pablo Mari and Rob Holding, the teams have been going in different directions. And Arsenal have completely dominated the head-to-head: P11 W8 D3 L0 F24 A10.

The first email of the day comes from John Stedman

I think it’s hard to enjoy any sporting contest as a neutral without actively taking sides, so today’s match poses a particularly difficult problem for me.

Usually, my preference would be for any team based in the capital to lose – something that is obviously impossible today. So, in London derbies, I have a very specific order of London teams that I wish to win: Leyton Orient, Charlton Athletic, QPR, Millwall, Brentford, Wimbledon, West Ham, Fulham, Tottenham.

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