Arsenal need to make sure they are "in a position where they pressurise all the way" as they try to chase down Manchester City.

Speaking on BBC Radio London's The Far Post podcast, former Premier League defender Steve Brown said: "They should be proud already because they're already way ahead of where anyone expected them to be.

"I think it's just the manner that they held the lead in the league for so long that will be so disappointing and they've hit a really bad run of form and run of poor results at the wrong time.

"Manchester City's last loss was 17 games ago and they're just a juggernaut.

"They have had year upon year upon year to make their squad as strong as it is and we always talk about strength in depth and City do have the strength in depth, it's as simple as that. It's why they get stronger as the season goes on and it's why pundits and commentators talk about that kind of stuff because it's extremely relevant.

"But it's one slip up and Arsenal need to make sure they're in a position where they pressurise all the way."

Listen to the full discussion from 33'20 on BBC Sounds

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Roger: Arsenal have everything to play for, considering there might be a couple of 'slippery' games for Man City. Chelsea have nothing to play for and seems the players couldn't care less.

Dil: Need to stop looking at the badge and start looking at the team on paper - Chelsea have no chance today.

Chris Sutton
Former Blackburn striker

Frank Lampard took the job with the best intentions but his spell as interim Chelsea boss has been a disaster, with five defeats out of five.

There is all this talk about Mauricio Pochettino getting the job but Frank is still in charge for now - and I don't know where he goes from here.

Chelsea just are not looking like a team at all, which is perhaps their biggest problem, but Arsenal have problems too. They look to me like a side whose confidence has been shot to pieces.

We don't know how much that heavy defeat to Manchester City, in what was billed as a title decider, will hurt them but I guess we are about to find out.

This makes this game very hard to call. Chelsea have been so bad that in some ways the pressure is off, while the Gunners still want a strong end to the season.

I can't see this being a cracker and there won't be many goals, but I am going with Arsenal to pull themselves together and win it - just about.

Prediction:2-1

Sutton's full predictions v rapper Blanco

Mark Schwarzer
Former Middlesbrough & Fulham keeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Lampard wants a reaction from Aubameyang, up against his old club.

Now it's about trying to find some form and the back of the net for Chelsea.

He's a proven goalscorer, but it's been a nightmare for him. Today is an opportunity for him, an unbelievable opportunity to show he's not finished and he can make a difference for Chelsea.

Tom: We'll probably still lose but that's a much better line up from Lampard. Players in their right positions at least!

Hugh: Backing Arsenal for a comfortable win tonight, would like a few goals to put as much possible pressure on City.

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Frank Lampard feels only "hard work" will help to get performance and confidence back into the squad.

Chelsea are on an eight-match winless run in all competitions and head into the trip to title-chasing Arsenal significantly low on confidence.

"Our job is to look at performances and mentality in training to try and bring back a good feeling. That only comes with hard work," said the interim head coach.

"I enjoy that challenge and I was very aware of it coming in. I'm very proud to manage the club, I love being here and doing my job. You can't always control the results, but you can work every day."

Lampard, who previously managed the Blues between 2019-2021, has lost all five of his matches in charge since his return.

"I've been here in moments where confidence has been low because nobody likes losing games," he said. "I had moments as a player where we dropped our standards as a collective and we had to lift it.

"Looking through history, we managed to get it back through hard work, the level of the squad.

"It is different now in terns of the type of player and the squad we have here and what expectations are. We can only consider the future and work really hard to get the squad where we want it."

Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis, Nielsen's Gracenote: "Chelsea have won just once this season in 16 matches against the teams in the top half of the Premier League. That was a 2-0 win at Aston Villa in October.

"Chelsea have managed just nine points from 48 against the top-10. Only Southampton (four) and Leeds United (eight) have done worse than the Blues against the top-10 this season."

Jonas: Some dice rolling from Arteta. Personally I think Trossard should’ve started against City, if not against Southampton. He’s really good at recycling the ball,

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Emirates Stadium

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's exile at Arsenal was a huge move by manager Mikel Arteta at a time when the striker still had many admirers among the club's fanbase.

He has had a nightmare at Chelsea but manager Frank Lampard is hoping Aubameyang will be fired up enough to deliver a blow to his old club's title ambitions and end the interim manager's miserable run of five straight losses.

Mark Schwarzer
Former Middlesbrough & Fulham keeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

Arsenal still have so much going for them. They've got to keep believing until the end of the season.

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Gunners' goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale says Arsenal still believe they can win the Premier League title despite Wednesday's defeat by Manchester City.

It is now out of the Gunners' hands as Pep Guardiola's side look favourites to win a third successive title, but Ramsdale insisted "stranger things have happened" and is not throwing the towel in.

"We're going to be disappointed now but we haven't played nine months of Premier League football, and played the way we wanted to play, to give up with five games to go," he said.

"If anything is going to happen in football, it is in this league. It might not - but stranger things have happened in the Premier League.

"You see how tight it is at the bottom, you see how tight it is at the top, so we are going to be pushing every game - with five games left we need to win five games - and we will see how that ends at the end of the season.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We'll get over it and the manager will do what the manager does: dissect it, tell us and we will do everything we can."

The Premier League title race is "not over" and Arsenal still have the "nicest part of the season" to come, says manager Mikel Arteta.

On Sunday the Gunners lost top spot to Manchester City, who beat them 4-1 on Wednesday and hold a one-point advantage with a game in hand.

Arsenal have spent 247 days at the top this season compared to City's 16.

Arteta said Arsenal, without a win in four games, want to "put things right" at home to Chelsea.

"We can still achieve the Premier League because there are five games to go and a lot of things are going to happen still," he said. "When I look at it, this is not over.

"It is not in our hands any more. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left and the rest is down to City.

"I have not had to pick up the mood of the players. They keep the fire in the belly."

Arsenal have only picked up three points from their last four Premier League games, but boss Mikel Arteta still believes...

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by Mikel Arteta before leaving the club during his spell at the Emirates, made just his second appearance for Chelsea since February in the loss to Brentford on Wednesday.

Chelsea have scored just one goal in their past seven games. Aubameyang, 33, was frozen out by Graham Potter and has scored one goal in 14 Premier League games this season.

"Auba [Aubameyang] has been a tough one for me because I've got complete respect for him as a player," said Blues boss Frank Lampard. "He's scored 300 and whatever goals in his career.

"He couldn't play the two Madrid games for me because he was not in the squad, he came on against Wolves (a 1-0 defeat) and for a number nine particularly, to be sharp and to be playing regularly is key.

"To see him train, when we haven't had big minutes for training, in the last few days I've seen him be able to train, so he was in my thinking for [Brentford] anyway.

"He certainly has the profile of a number nine. We don't have that elsewhere in the squad. So I did see a difference."

Mikel Arteta makes three changes to the Arsenal side that lost to Manchester City last time out.

Rob Holding, Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey all drop to the bench. Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and ex-Blues midfielder Jorginho are given starts.

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard.

Subs: Turner, Tierney, Partey, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Nketiah, Holding, Vieira, Nelson.

As for Chelsea the big news is the return of former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabon international is making his first start since Chelsea lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the reverse fixture back on 6 November. He replaces Conor Gallagher who drops to the bench.

He's one of two changes for the Blues, the other being forward Noni Madueke coming in for defender Trevor Chalobah.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling.

Subs: Mendy, Badiashile, Felix, Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Mudryk, Ziyech, Gallagher, Havertz.

These are the matches the Premier League title contenders face...

Arsenal

• Chelsea (h) today
• Newcastle (a) 7 May
• Brighton (h) 14 May
• Nottingham Forest (a) 20 May
• Wolves (h) 28 May

Manchester City

• West Ham (h) 3 May
• Leeds (h) 6 May
• Real Madrid - CL semi-final (a) 9 May
• Everton (a) 14 May
• Real Madrid - CL semi-final (h) 17 May
• Chelsea (h) 21 May
• Brighton (a) 24 May
• Brentford (a) 28 May
• Man Utd - FA Cup final 3 June
• Potential CL final 10 June

An Arsenal win tonight would take them back to the top of the Premier League and two points ahead of Manchester City, who would have two games in hand and a far superior goal difference,

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It's been a shocking season for Chelsea, with European football gone for next season. Even a top-10 finish is not likely.

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Hello and welcome along to BBC Sport's coverage of the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Kick-off for this one is at 20:00 BST.

Arsenal's hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since 2004 are no longer in their own hands as they need Manchester City to slip up.

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All the Gunners can do is win their remaining games and hope. Therefore, Arsenal can't afford to drop any points tonight at home against a Chelsea side that is woefully out of form.

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