Arsenal vs Chelsea: 5 players to watch | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Emile Smith Rowe | Arsenal

Emile Smith Rowe played the full 90 minutes against Brentford

Emile Smith Rowe is one of the best academy graduates to have emerged out of the Arsenal academy in recent years. The player was recently awarded the prestigious No.10 jersey at the club and that is a sign of the trust Arteta puts on the 20-year-old attacking midfielder.

He played the full 90 minutes against Brentford and finished with an astonishing 98% passing accuracy. Though the Gunners weren't able to find the back of the net, Rowe also created two key passes in the loss.

He is expected to go up against the likes of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park and needs to be at his best.

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#2 Mateo Kovacic | Chelsea

Mateo Kovacic picked up an assist against Crystal Palace

Chelsea have two outstanding midfielders in their ranks in Jorginho and N'Golo Kante but Mateo Kovacic has also been impressive in his recent outings. The former Real Madrid star was awarded the No.8 jersey at the club recently. He did justice to it with a great performance in the middle of the park against Crystal Palace.

He picked up an assist for Trevoh Chalobah's 58th-minute screamer. He was a creative force in the middle of the park, having two key passes to his name and also completed 97% of his passes throughout the game.

While Jorginho and Kante do the dirty work in midfield, Kovacic is usually the one moving the ball quickly from a defensive position into the final third. He will be a player who can make a difference for Chelsea against Arsenal.

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#1 Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku has trained ahead of the derby against Arsenal

Chelsea will have their marquee signing of the season and former player Romelu Lukaku against Arsenal. The Belgian striker has been in terrific form for Inter Milan, scoring 24 league goals last season. It is expected that he will be able to settle into the squad with ease as he used to play in a similar system at Inter Milan.

Chelsea have had problems with finding a reliable No.9 as Timo Werner has been misfiring and that's where Lukaku could add tremendous value.

Arsenal do not have a solid defense at the moment and could struggle to contain an in-form Lukaku.

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Also See: 10 best goalkeepers in the world this season (2020-21)