Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

Arsenal are at home to Chelsea in a match that has serious ramifications for the remainder of the Premier League season, and in particular the Champions League dreams of next season.

Chelsea have one of the toughest weeks in memory—taking on Tottenham in the FA Cup, Real Madrid in the Champions League and Arsenal in the English Premier League, all within the space of a few days—but they will be full of confidence after their demolition of Tottenham yesterday.

They will know that taking points away from Arsenal could prove to be crucial to their hopes of finishing with a top-four spot and a Champions League berth for next year.

Arsenal, on the other hand, appear to be safe for now in their hunt for a Champions League position, in third place and five points clear of the chasing Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle.

The Gunners have only been beaten once at home since August of last year, and that was to current league leaders Manchester United back in January. They've won 75 percent of their matches at home this year and appear to be a real test for the Blues.

It's certainly shaping up as a fascinating encounter, with so much at stake for both teams in this one. Everything you need to know and much more is right here, so with that, let's roll.

Where: Emirates Stadium

When: Saturday, 21 April at 7:45 AM ET

Live stream: ESPN

Last time these two met: Chelsea 3, Arsenal 5

Earlier in the season, Chelsea were defeated by Arsenal in a high-scoring match that will surely go down as one of the matches of the year.

Chelsea took a 2-1 lead in to half time, thanks to goals from Frank Lampard and John Terry, but found themselves down 3-2 with just over half an hour to play after Andre Santos and Theo Walcott had given the Gunners the lead.

After using all three substitutes in the space of 10 or so minutes, Chelsea leveled the match at 3-3 through Juan Mata with 10 minutes to play before Robin van Persie broke the hearts of the hosts, netting two late goals to give Arsenal a 5-3 victory.

Despite finishing with more possession for the match and a greater pass accuracy, Chelsea were left to rue their missed opportunities and the individual errors that eventually cost them the match. 

Player to watch: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

He was the player who defeated Chelsea with his three goals last time the two sides met, and van Persie is certainly the danger man again for the Gunners as he seeks to add to his 27-goal haul for the Premier League so far.

Unstoppable early, van Persie has slowed down in his goal-scoring prowess—netting just one goal in his last five appearances for the Gunners. Yet his most recent match saw him chalk up a goal and an assist in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Wolves, proving that the mini-drought appears to be over for the Dutch striker.

Perhaps equally impressive as his 27-goal haul for the year so far has been van Persie's assist play, which has seen him record 10 assists in the Premier League so far. Not only that, the Dutchman is currently averaging 2.4 key passes per game—turning the ball over just 1.5 times per match in the process.

At the Emirates, van Persie is averaging a goal per game in the Premier League this season, as well as over five shots per game. His goal-scoring prowess has been too much for nearly every Premier League side this season, and there's no doubting who the danger man for Arsenal in this one is.

Hot-to-trot tip for the match: Under 3.5 goals for the match

It might sound a little strange predicting the total goals for the match to be under 3.5 considering the scoreline the last time these two played, as well as Chelsea's recent 5-1 hammering of Tottenham, but there's merit to the madness.

At home this season, Arsenal have averaged over two goals per game, but have also conceded at less than a goal per game at the same time. In fact, 43.8 percent of their home games have seen them finish with a clean sheet.

Chelsea away from Stamford Bridge do what most sides do, and score fewer goals than they do at home (difference currently sits at 10), but they also concede fewer goals on the road. The Blues currently average just 1.06 goals conceded away from home compared to 1.25 at home.

As a whole, Chelsea's away matches therefore frequently feature fewer goals than those that take part in at Stamford Bridge. Nearly 60 percent of their away games this year have gone under 2.5 goals, and even with the attacking talent that Arsenal have, the under 3.5 goals looks like a safe option.

Keep in mind also that Chelsea will have exhausted themselves offensively throughout the week, and won't offer as much up front as they would if they were completely rested for the week. They've failed to find the back of the net in nearly a third of their matches away from home this season, and as a result the under 3.5 goals for the match is the hot-to-trot tip for this one. 

Prediction: Arsenal 1, Chelsea 0

Arsenal at home this year simply are a tough side to get past. We've seen time and time again that they can blow past their opponents and hammer home numerous goals such as their 7-1 win over Blackburn and their 5-2 defeat of Tottenham.

We've also seen them grind out tough wins, such as their 1-0 wins over Everton, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City—all featuring second-half game-winning goals. And with that in mind, they just look too strong in this one.

The Gunners will know that three points here would make it virtually impossible for them to finish without a Champions League berth, and they will know that Chelsea has had one of the more emotional weeks they'll have all year.

Expect the 41 goals against Arsenal to come to the fore more than the 66 goals for Arsenal, as an early van Persie goal allows the hosts to shut down the midfield with their pressing defense.

Arsenal have only allowed four goals in the second half this year, and taking a 1-0 advantage in to the interval, will hold out the Blues to record their third sixth win in a row at home and their 13th overall in the Premier League so far.

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