What Mikel Arteta is doing to prepare Arsenal for Chelsea as honest Liam Rosenior point made

Arsenal welcome Chelsea to north London on Sunday and Mikel Arteta is being extra cautious of the Blues

Mikel Arteta refused to allow Arsenal’s dominant record over Chelsea to affect his side’s preparations.

The last time Arsenal lost to their London rivals was in August 2021. The Gunners have won seven and drawn three of the subsequent ten meetings between the sides.

Liam Rosenior’s arrival failed to change the course of results as he lost both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arteta’s title-chasing side.

Yet, the Spaniard was adamant that no amount of positive past results can trump how his side prepares to face any opponent.

FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

“No, I think what it is, is it’s about the preparation,” he said. “The preparation gives you confidence and the right emotional state to get to the game with the belief and the conviction that you're going to win it.”

Under Enzo Maresca, an Arsenal team without both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were held to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Arteta believes that under Rosenior, Chelsea are a side that can adapt throughout a game, and therefore is planning for many different game states.

“They’ve done different things,” Arteta explained. “They can change throughout the game.

“They have the players and they have a manager that is very comfortable doing that. So we are prepared.

“We're going to be prepared for the possible scenarios that we can face throughout the game and then try to be better.”

Both Saliba and Gabriel will be available for the match this time around, and there is hope Kai Havertz could return, too.

These personnel changes were further highlighted by Arteta as to why any past record has no bearing on the next game.

“What we've done two weeks ago or two years ago is irrelevant because every game and every context is different," he added.

“Because the players might change, and all of the teams can be in a different state. Overall, what is at stake is different, and we are prepared.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings