Arsenal v Chelsea LIVE: Team news and line-ups from Premier League derby

“The intention will be that (to control the ball),” he said. “And if we are able or not depends a lot on the opponent.

“They just told me that Pedro Neto (against Copenhagen) did a sprint on 90 minutes. The reason why is that we were sitting back at the edge of our box. So if we plan the game (against Arsenal) sitting back and wait, sure our strikers and wingers are going to do 20 sprints for 60, 70 minutes.

“When you play most of your game in the opposite side, there is not space to do that kind of sprint.

“Our plan is to control the game but it’s a team that is going to press high and try to be aggressive, and probably we will have more space to attack in behind.”

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said his team are capable of hurting Arsenal on the break if forced to break from their rigid tactics in today’s meeting at the Emirates.

Recent displays have seen a commitment to a slower, positional way of playing, despite the last four games having been against weaker opposition on paper, with the team under instruction from Maresca not to move the ball forward too quickly.

It has led to audible frustration from supporters during 1-0 home wins against Copenhagen in the Conference League and in the Premier League against Leicester, whilst the away leg against the Danish side was also a slow, stolid affair.

Maresca has repeatedly said he will substitute players who do not adhere to his style, even as fans have increasingly voiced their displeasure with the way their team are playing.

Yet ahead of the meeting with second-place Arsenal, he admitted his side could be forced to be flexible.

Here is a look at how the two teams could line up this afternoon. Will Mikel Arteta persist with Mikel Merino as a false nine?

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Myles-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Martinelli.

Chelsea: Sanchez; Fofana, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Nkunku; Neto.

Arteta is set to bring back several players who were benched in midweek against PSV. Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka remain out injured.

Reece James and Cole Palmer have shaken off illness and are expected to start the game, while Maresca confirmed in his press conference that Robert Sanchez would start in goal. Chelsea are still set to be without Marc Guiu, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto and Mykhailo Mudryk.

The match will kick off at 1.30pm GMT at the Emirates Stadium today, Sunday 16 March.

Arsenal v Chelsea will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League TV channels. Subscribers can watch the match online via the Sky Sports and Sky Go website and apps.

Chelsea have their own ambitions as they hunt a place in next season’s Champions League, which will likely require finishing in the top five. Enzo Maresca’s side sat fourth coming into the weekend and are on a run of four successive wins after knocking out Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League in midweek.

Arsenal come into the game after seeing off PSV in the Champions League in midweek via a 2-2 draw and 9-3 aggregate victory, and they should be fresh after Mikel Arteta rested several of his stars.

Hello and welcome along to live coverage of Arsenal v Chelsea in the Premier League, as two rivals meet at the Emirates Stadium.