Arsenal Faces Chelsea While Spurs Look for Hope

Arsenal will host Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend. Both teams are putting their perfect records on the line. Meanwhile, Tottenham is looking to turn their season around.

Defending champions Arsenal and Chelsea, led by Xabi Alonso, are among four teams that have won their first two league games this season. The other two are Manchester City and newly-promoted Hull.

Spurs find themselves at the bottom of the table as they prepare to face Nottingham Forest. New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is also searching for his first win.

Arsenal's Strength Against Chelsea's Style

Arsenal has kicked off their title defense in solid form. They have looked tough to beat, just like they did last season.

Last week, they secured a 1-0 win against Aston Villa. This followed their opening match where they won 3-0 against Coventry. This makes it six clean sheets in their last seven league games.

Manager Mikel Arteta can also take heart from the performance of England winger Bukayo Saka. He has already scored twice after struggling with injuries during the 2025/26 season.

Chelsea has started the Xabi Alonso era with three wins across all competitions. They have been impressive in attack but have shown some weaknesses defensively.

The new attacking trio of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, and Morgan Rogers have netted five of the team's seven league goals against Fulham and Brighton.

Still, Alonso, who previously managed Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, will want to improve the defense that has conceded five goals in those matches.

Chelsea has not won in nine Premier League encounters against Arsenal, making their upcoming match at the Emirates even more challenging.

Spurs' Troubles

Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham will avoid another relegation battle despite a rough start to the season.

The north London club finished 17th in the last two seasons. They lost their first match against Brentford 3-0, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle.

They spent over £350 million ($473 million) in the summer transfer window to shake things up. New signings included Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and Savio.

Yet, there is little sign of improvement as they prepare to meet Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Forest beat Spurs twice last season.

Despite these challenges, De Zerbi remains hopeful. He said, “After two defeats, maybe somebody can think it’s the same story, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it’s not like this. I think I can’t change my opinion after two defeats. I have a big, big confidence in the qualities of my players.”