EPL: Arsenal To Clash With Chelsea In Matchday 3 Blockbuster

Arsenal and Chelsea will put their perfect starts to the 2026/27 Premier League season on the line when the two London rivals meet at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

According to Ireporter Online, both sides are among the four teams to have secured maximum points from their opening two league matches, alongside Manchester City and newly promoted Hull City. The highly anticipated encounter could therefore see one of the teams suffer its first league defeat of the campaign.

Defending champions Arsenal have made a strong start to their title defence, continuing the defensive resilience that played a key role in their success last season. Mikel Arteta’s side opened the campaign with a 3-0 victory over Coventry City before recording a narrow 1-0 win away to Aston Villa last weekend.

The victory at Villa Park extended Arsenal’s impressive defensive record, with the Gunners keeping six clean sheets in their last seven Premier League matches. Bukayo Saka has also begun the new campaign positively, scoring twice after an injury-disrupted 2025/26 season.

Chelsea have equally enjoyed an encouraging start under new manager Xabi Alonso, winning all three of their matches across all competitions. However, despite their attacking efficiency, defensive issues remain a concern for the Blues.

Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have contributed five of Chelsea’s seven league goals in victories over Fulham and Brighton. However, the London club conceded five goals across those two matches, highlighting an area Alonso will be keen to address ahead of the Arsenal clash.

Arsenal will also enter Sunday’s fixture with a psychological advantage, having gone unbeaten in their last nine Premier League meetings with Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to revive their campaign when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday after a disappointing start to the season.

Spurs currently sit at the bottom of the table following successive defeats to Brentford and Newcastle. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have conceded five goals without scoring in their opening two league matches despite spending more than £350 million during the summer transfer window as part of a major squad rebuild.

New arrivals reportedly include Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Savio, but Tottenham’s early results have raised concerns among supporters.

De Zerbi, however, has remained confident in his squad’s ability to turn things around and avoid another relegation battle after the club finished 17th in each of the previous two seasons.

Liverpool are also seeking their first Premier League victory under new manager Andoni Iraola after beginning the campaign with draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

The Reds have strengthened their attacking options with the signing of France international Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal reportedly worth up to £124 million. The winger could make his Liverpool debut against newly promoted Ipswich Town on Friday.

Barcola joins an attacking unit that includes Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and the injured Hugo Ekitike. However, Liverpool’s defensive performance remains a concern after the club conceded four goals in its opening two league fixtures.

The full Premier League Matchday 3 fixtures are scheduled as follows:

Friday

Ipswich Town vs Liverpool — 8:00pm

Saturday

Newcastle United vs Bournemouth — 12:30pm

Brentford vs Sunderland — 3:00pm

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Leeds United — 3:00pm

Fulham vs Crystal Palace — 3:00pm

Manchester City vs Coventry City — 3:00pm

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur — 3:00pm

Hull City vs Aston Villa — 5:30pm

Sunday

Everton vs Manchester United — 2:00pm

Arsenal vs Chelsea — 4:30pm