Romelu Lukaku returns for Chelsea, Raphaël Varane set for United bow and Burnley test Virgil van Dijk’s aerial mettle
Arsenal beat Chelsea twice last season, including a victory at Stamford
Bridge three months ago. Since then they have spent heavily on transfers including a £50m centre-back. Their fans must be super-confident as they prepare for Sunday’s Emirates clash, especially those who have blanked out last week’s fiasco at Brentford. But Thomas Tuchel is sure to bear that match in mind as he prepares his strategy for Sunday, and his pre-match pep talk is likely to begin with a good old-fashioned “get into ’em”. Ben White performed no worse than many teammates last week but the expectation on him is higher following his transfer, so he needs to earn back some trust by rising to Sunday’s challenge, which will be particularly formidable if a highly motivated and supremely confident Romelu Lukaku is given the first start in his second coming at Chelsea. Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, needs to pick a balanced lineup and find a way to inspire some oomph. There are only so many more humiliations Arsenal can suffer before the manager gets the heave-ho. PD