Chelsea vs. Arsenal, Premier League: Live blog; highlights

Welcome back to the Premier League, and welcome back to the first game of a very challenging run between now and the next international break.

It’s time to amp up the excitement and crank things up to the max.

In a surprising twist, Mauricio Pochettino has made a few unexpected changes to the lineup — likely due to the fitness concerns of Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson. Marc Cucurella will start as the left back instead of Levi Colwill (who will play in the center), and there is no recognized center forward in the starting lineup.

Both Saka and Saliba have been declared fit for Arsenal. Unfortunately, Reece James hasn’t been as lucky.

Here we go!

Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Sánchez | Cucurella, Colwill, Silva, Gusto | Gallagher (c), Enzo, Caicedo | Mudryk, Sterling, Palmer

Substitutes from: Petrović, James, Maatsen, Badiashile, Disasi, Ugochukwu, Madueke, Washington, Jackson

Arsenal starting lineup (4-3-3):
Raya | Zinchenko, Magalhães, Saliba, White | Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard (c) | Martinelli, Jesus, Saka

Substitutes from: Hein, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Partey, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Havertz, Trossard, Nketiah

Date / Time: Saturday, October 21, 2023, 17.30 BST; 12:30pm EDT; 10pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (on pitch); Jarred Gillett (VAR)

On TV: Watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event (UK), NBC (USA), Star Sports Select HD1 (India), SuperSport Premier League, Canal+ Sport 3 (NGA), or catch it elsewhere.
Streaming: Stream it on Sky Go (UK), Peacock (USA), Hotstar (India), or DStv Now (NGA).

LIVE BLOG

Get ready for an epic match! Stay tuned for live updates.