London, England – Arsenal will have little respite after a massive match last weekend as the Gunners return home for a meeting with Premier League-leading Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger's side is coming off of an impressive draw with Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend, but instead of getting to return to action with a less competitive fixture, the Gunners will test their title credentials against first-place Chelsea.
Only four points separate the two London clubs, which are two of the only four remaining unbeaten sides in England's top flight. Arsenal and Chelsea have identical scoring records so far this season, scoring nine goals through five games while leaking two at the back.
"Chelsea have a lot of good technical players in their side, and I think they've changed the style of their game a bit," Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen told the club's official website. "They seem more attack-minded now, with players like Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata all looking dangerous. Fernando Torres is a threat with his movement too.
"That said, they're still based on the strong foundations that people associate them with - players like John Terry, Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic have a lot of experience and make them very strong at the back."
Hazard, who arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer, has been one of Chelsea's brightest stars thus far, creating a plethora of scoring opportunities for himself as well as his teammates.
"People talked a lot about him when he played for Lille, and understandably so because he's one of the most talented players in Europe," Vermaelen said of his compatriot. "Chelsea bought him for a lot of money, but he's already showed what exceptional quality he has. He can do a lot with the ball and has the ability to decide a game on his own, so we'll have to keep a close eye on him."
The Blues are coming off of a dramatic 1-0 win against Stoke City last weekend with Cole grabbing the winner five minutes from time. The Potters will look to bounce back on Saturday when they host Swansea City at the Britannia.
Manchester United has won four successive league matches after opening the season with a loss at Everton. The second-place Red Devils will look to make it a fifth straight win on Saturday when they welcome Tottenham to Old Trafford. Everton, sitting third in the table on 10 points, will face Southampton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, Liverpool will look to climb out of the relegation zone with a win at Norwich City, Manchester City will try to preserve its unbeaten start to the season when it heads to Craven Cottage to face Fulham, last-place Reading welcomes mid-table Newcastle to the Madejski and Wigan heads to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland.
On Sunday, Aston Villa welcomes fourth-place West Bromwich to Villa Park, and on Monday, West Ham heads to Loftus Road to face QPR in the weekend's second London derby.
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