Barclays Premier League Preview: Chelsea v. Arsenal

Arsene Wenger's side have made an abysmal start to the season by their high standards, which means taking all three points this weekend is a must for the Gunners.

In the wake of all the turmoil on and off the pitch, Arsenal's newly-appointed captain Cesc Fabregas has no time for on-the-job training. Fabregas needs to be able to motivate his team both in the dressing room and on the pitch, though this could prove a daunting task away to Felipe Scolari's Chelsea.

Arsenal have already suffered five defeats this season—inflicting costly damage on their title credentials. With this many losses in November, Arsenal must keep in mind that the last seven Premier League champions have lost five matches or less en route to winning the league.

Arsenal need a good result at Stamford Bridge to lift their spirits after the 3-0 thumping by Manchester City last weekend. A win here would give Arsene Wenger's young team the confidence to shake off this season's poor start and get back to their winning ways.

While Arsenal scraped by Dynamo Kyiv with a late goal in midweek, Chelsea's woeful performance in Bordeaux saw the teams split the points after Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was sent off for a second bookable offense.

Arsenal's midweek victory guaranteed them a spot in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea, however, were not as lucky and now sit second in group A after AS Roma made light work of CFR Cluj.

Alou Diarra's equalizer secured a point for Bordeaux, meaning that Chelsea are now winless in their last two Champions League fixtures.

On the back of this unlikely result sits Chelsea's sharp dip in form which has seen them produce a string of sub-par performances. Even though they are still the Premier League leaders, Chelsea need to find their form if they want to remain favorites to take home the silverware in May.

The Blues were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Championship side Burnley, after finishing runners-up last season and winning the trophy two years ago. Next came a 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle, followed by the 1-1 scoreline in France after a performance bereft of imagination and the ability to keep possession. 

With these results quickly becoming a trend, Felipe Scolari is under great pressure to win this weekend.

Both of these sides are in shambolic form at the moment, so the match this Saturday is massively important not only for the teams, but for their managers as well.

Didier Drogba will miss the match through suspension, while a trio of Arsenal players including Emmanuel Adebayor, Bacary Sagna, and summer signing Samir Nasri are being tipped to make the short trip to South West London after recovering from injury.

Chelsea will be confident playing at home, but Arsenal have already beaten Manchester United this season, so the match could go either way.

One thing is for sure, though, the importance of this match ensures it will be a closely-contested encounter, providing entertaining football not only for Chelsea and Arsenal supporters, but for the neutrals as well.