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Chelsea travel to Arsenal on Wednesday evening with second place in their sights and the chance to leapfrog Manchester United acting as an incentive, while Antonio Conte's side would also move 10 points clear of Arsenal with a victory.
Arsenal, for their part, must win to revive their prospects of a top four finish. Arsene Wenger's side are six points behind fourth placed Liverpool, seven behind Chelsea and nine behind Manchester United.
The two teams meet on Wednesday night and here Sportsmail answers some of the key questions.....
This fixture last season led to Antonio Conte adopting to the successful three-man defence
Will Wenger match Conte’s formation by deploying 3-4-3 again?
In the equivalent Premier League fixture last season, Arsenal tore Chelsea to ribbons, winning 3-0 and provoke Antonio Conte to introduce the three-man defensive system that catapulted his side to the title and many sides have since imitated the formation. Arsene Wenger reverted to a 3-4-2-1 system at the back end of last season and although his faith has wavered of late, we might expect him to go toe-to-toe with Chelsea in the same system this evening.
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Should wantaway stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez both start despite the January transfer window opening?
Two players, two very different approaches. Mesut Ozil has sparkled this season and produced his finest form for quite some time. He appears to be stepping up his form as speculation over a move to Manchester United intensifies, whereas Alexis Sanchez is too often taking the opposite approach, whereby he drifts through games ahead of a transfer to Manchester City. Sanchez has assisted or scored a goal every 141.7 minutes this season, compared to every 94.8 minutes during the last campaign. We know Arsene Wenger is not scared to leave him out - Sanchez was dropped for the visit to Anfield at the start of the season - but with three goals in his last two games, the manager may be inclined to start the Chilean. Ozil will start if he is adjudged to have overcome a flare-up to a minor injury.
Mesut Ozil has sparkled this season but Alexis Sanchez is drifting in games before he leaves
How has Antonio Conte fared in match against the other managerial heavyweights?
Antonio Conte has won only two away matches against the established top six sides since joining Chelsea last summer. Those victories came at Manchester City last season and Tottenham at the start of this campaign. Last season brought away defeats at Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal, while Conte has seen his side draw twice at Liverpool.
Conte may fancy his chances this evening, as although Arsenal's home record has generally been excellent this season, flaws have emerged in the last month with a 3-1 defeat by Manchester United and 3-3 draw against Liverpool. Arsenal did, however, comprehensively dismantle Tottenham at their own ground.
Antonio Conte has won twice away against the established top six sides since joining Chelsea
Who will win the battle of the summer signings – Alvaro Morata or Alexandre Lacazette?
Twelve goals by the turn of the year is a handsome return for Alvaro Morata. Although he has only scored five goals in his last 18 appearances, Morata's approach play remains sharp and several of those were as a substitute. Lacazette has made a slightly slower start, although goals against both Manchester clubs suggest he merits a starting opportunity tonight, even in light of a run of six games without a goal.
The club's respective summer signing Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette will be key
Why Eden Hazard will be raring to go after being rested against Stoke?
Antonio Conte has shuffled his pack intelligently in recent weeks. He rested Alvaro Morata for a couple of game earlier in December and the Spaniard has returned in bright form, while Eden Hazard was substituted after 73 minutes in the 2-0 victory over Brighton and neither he nor Cesc Fabregas came off the bench in the 5-0 win over Stoke. Chelsea, therefore, arrive into this one with their creative talents primed and ready to shine.
Chelsea arrive into the game against Arsenal with Eden Hazard primed and ready to shine
Guardiola says Premier League festive fixtures are 'killing' its stars... so how many players did teams lose this time?
The manic festive fixture list is what makes the Premier League unique, but to Pep Guardiola it's having a severe detrimental effect on those playing in England.
10 THINGS WE LEARNED: Mourinho can improve players as well as Guardiola - and Solanke's Chelsea exit was right
Manchester City managed to maintain a 15-point lead as well as their unbeaten status throughout a hectic festive period. RALPH ELLIS looks at 10 things we learned from the New Year fixtures.
Jose on a tightrope: Manchester United boss riles Old Trafford chiefs with digs over spending
EXCLUSIVE BY IAN LADYMAN: The United manager said recently that the £260million he has invested in his team in the last 18 months is ‘not enough’ to compete at the top of the Premier League.
FIFA investigate Brewster claim that England team-mate was racially abused in U17 World Cup final
FIFA is investigating Rhian Brewster's claim that team-mate Morgan Gibbs-White was racially abused by a Spanish opponent during the Under-17 World Cup final, the governing body has confirmed.
Liverpool star Mane says goal against Burnley was massive confidence boost as he hails signing of Van Dijk
The Senegal international smashed home with his weaker left foot for only his second Premier League goal since August. Mane was Liverpool's stand-out performer last season with 13 goals.
Sterling is hitting the heights thanks to hours of graft, maturing off the field and Guardiola's special man management
Raheem Sterling’s reactions off the field are almost as impressive as they are on it. He sees a situation, evaluates it and then responds accordingly.
FIFA 18 TOTW 16: 9 of the first 11 are from the Premier League including the likes of Sanchez, Pogba, and Alli
EA sports has released the latest FIFA 18 FUT Team of the Week squad, and it contains a lot of Premier League players while various other leagues were on a break.
Take that on to the field! Sanchez takes a tractor to training as Wenger admits Arsenal are 'under pressure' to win Chelsea clash
Arsenal's Premier League campaign may be one defeat away from unravelling but Alexis Sanchez appeared to be in relaxed mood as he found the time to mess around while the team prepared for a crucial clash against Chelsea. The Chilean showed off for the cameras at Arsenal training on Tuesday as he jumped on an unattended tractor at London Colney and pretended to drive away from his team-mates. It showed Sanchez was in fine spirits ahead of what could be a make-or-break game against their London rivals on Wednesday evening.
Chelsea boss Conte insists he will fend off any approach for one of his players unless he secures a replacement first
Conte’s fears over his limited squad size mean he believes it would be ‘impossible’ to see any drop in numbers, even with interest in a number of his players. David Luiz’s fall down the pecking order has attracted glances from clubs on the continent, Newcastle United are keen on Kenedy and Michy Batshuayi and Charly Musonda have also been linked with moves away. Conte, though, would be opposed to any exits without buying first.
Conte seeing relaxation guru: 'To play every three days is a big effort not only for my players but also for me'
Chelsea travel to Arsenal on Wednesday with one key man suffering from exhaustion amid the current hectic schedule - but it isn’t a player.
Arsenal-Chelsea XI: Sanchez and Hazard make the cut - but who else misses out alongside Lacazette?
Both sides had relatively difficult run-ins to the semi-finals but the Blues started have their league season better than their London counterparts. Here, Sportsmail selects a composite XI.
Cech will become first Premier League goalkeeper to reach 200 clean sheets if he can keep former club Chelsea at bay
Arsenal's Petr Cech could become the first Premier League goalkeeper to reach 200 clean sheets when he goes up against former club Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
'The Professor' who kicked Costa into shape: Atletico's hardline coach forced striker to shed pounds with gruelling regime ahead of first match in SEVEN MONTHS
PETE JENSON IN SPAIN: It’s been 44 months since Diego Costa last pulled on an Atletico Madrid shirt and thanks to the work of one man – Oscar Ortega – he doesn’t look any different to the player who left the club in 2014. The former Chelsea centre forward turned up for his one-man pre-season training regime with Ortega, Atletico’s famed fitness coach, looking every inch like a man who had just spent three months feasting on the home comforts of his native Lagarto in Brazil. But when he runs out for Atletico on Wednesday in front of around 200 travelling supporters at Lleida’s tiny 12,000 ground for a first-leg Spanish Cup last-16 game he will be the same lean mean goals machine he was in his last spell at the club.
Preston defender strikes gold after winning €1MILLION jackpot in Irish lottery (will he give up the day job?!)
A Championship footballer has hit the big time after winning a millionaire lottery raffle back home in Ireland. Kevin O'Connor, 22, who signed for Preston last year, returned for a few days with family and friends over the New Year after he learned of his big win. After collecting his €1million jackpot in the National Lottery offices in Dublin he revealed that his mother Breda urged him to check his ticket after hearing the winning numbers were sold locally.
You WON'T get him early! RB Leipzig chief insists £55m Keita is not leaving for Liverpool before summer deal
RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has insisted that Guinean midfielder Naby Keita will not be completing his move to Liverpool before the end of the season.
Coutinho won't play again for Liverpool but Barcelona must break British transfer record to sign him
Philippe Coutinho has played his last Liverpool game, according to Spanish media reports, but it will take British football’s biggest transfer deal for him to realise his Barcelona dream.
'The club has the last word': Aguero concedes his future at Manchester City is out of his hands
The striker has two years remaining on his contract but has been left disappointed by Pep Guardiola’s decision to overlook him on big occasions this season.
Former Barcelona and United keeper Valdes retires - and then deletes social media accounts to focus on his family
Former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has retired from football and has deleted all of his social media accounts. The 35-year-old wants to focus on his family after hanging up his gloves.
Burnley consider move for Newcastle's Ritchie as Dyche looks to bolster his wide options
Burnley have added Matt Ritchie to their potential targets in the January window. Sean Dyche would like to sign a winger with Robbie Brady expected out for the rest of the season.
Mourinho and Manchester United stars arrive for training as Herrera calls on Lingard to continue his fine scoring form
Manchester United stars and their manager Jose Mourinho have been snapped arriving for a training session on Wednesday but there appeared to be no sign of the squad's big names. Daley Blind, Michael Carrick and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all drove into the entrance of the club's Carrington training base on a miserable morning in the North West. However, there was no sign of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku or Jesse Lingard among others as it seems Mourinho gave his key men another day off to recover.
Man City back to their brilliant best as Sterling scores after just 38 SECONDS before Aguero kills off Watford
MARTIN SAMUEL AT THE ETIHAD: No doubt you can guess what happened from the scoreline. So here’s an old Ronnie Corbett joke. A bloke goes to his local golf club, to find a stranger looking for a game. The two men agree to play and, on the first tee, the stranger takes out a hockey stick. He addresses the ball and hits it 250 yards down the middle. From there, he removes a short length of lead piping and chips on. He putts out with a snooker cue, from 20 feet, for birdie.
Manchester City winning makes Fernandinho feel young again as the midfielder insists: 'I feel like I'm 25'
Manchester City's Fernandinho has revealed that he doesn't feel a day over 25 after being on the winning side and has described Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva as 'twins' when on the pitch.
Besiktas chairman reveals Everton still have work to do in order to sign striker Tosun:'The situation is not finished yet'
Besiktas chairman Fikret Orman has revealed a deal has not yet been struck with Everton for Cenk Tosun. Orman revealed he has also turned down a bid for Tosun from China.
Carroll insists West Ham will avoid drop: 'It's tough down there... but we're confident we're not going down'
The England international smashed two past West Brom on Tuesday night to come from behind and earn his side a vital three points at the London Stadium.
£198m man Neymar packs on PDA with girlfriend as they enjoy Brazil holiday with his PSG team-mate Trapp
Neymar appeared to be making the most of Paris Saint-Germain's winter break as he packed on the PDA with girlfriend Bruna Marquezine while enjoying a day with friends on a luxury yacht. The £600,000-a-week star showed his affection for his on-off partner just days after they were reported to have reconciled their relationship at a New Year's Eve party in their native Brazil. PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and his girlfriend Izabel Goular joined them as they spent the day basking in the sun in Fernando de Noronha, an idylic island located 220 miles off the coast of Pernambuco.
'It was a no-brainer and I couldn't wait to get here': Goss completes Rangers loan move from QPR
22-year-old midfielder Sean Goss, who can also play left-back, moved to London club QPR from Manchester United a year ago but has only made six first-team appearances. Goss was a product of Exeter City's academy before being snapped up by United. After completing his loan move, Goss told Rangers TV: 'Rangers is a massive football club with a massive fanbase as well, and being out there seeing the stadium was unbelievable. So for me it was a no-brainer and I couldn't wait to get here.'
FA charge Wolves boss Nuno with misconduct after he was sent to stands in Bristol City clash
The charge relates to the recent Championship match against Bristol City at Ashton Gate where the Portuguese was dismissed from the touchline and sent to the stands.
Lallana insists he's back stronger than ever after spell on the sidelines: 'I have learned so much from being injured'
Lallana made his first start in the Premier League since May on New Year’s Day and his performance in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Burnley was described, simply, by Jurgen Klopp as being “outstanding”.
Crystal Palace eyeing up deal for Lille defender Amadou following Dann's season-ending injury
The 24-year-old, who is equally comfortable as a defensive midfielder, has been watched by a number of Premier League sides, including Arsenal over the past year.
Ronaldo, Bale and Isco all train as Real Madrid prepare for Copa del Rey clash
After enjoying a brief winter break, it's back to business for Real Madrid now as they gear up for their first match of 2018. The Spanish giants begin the calendar year with a last-16 tie at Numancia in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night. And ahead of that first-leg encounter, Real boss Zinedine Zidane had his side fine-tuning their preparations 24 hours earlier.
Wolves to beat Real Madrid to signing of Valencia youngster Mir after lodging £1.8m bid for 6′2″ striker
Wolves have made a move for Valencia forward Mir and are expected to beat Real to his signature. The 20-year-old had been widely expected to link up with the Champions League winners.
Falkirk supporters bring shame to club by throwing fake eyeballs on the pitch to mock Dunfermline's Shiels
The teams were meeting for the first time since Falkirk players Kevin O’Hara and Joe McKee received lengthy bans for verbally abusing Shiels, who had an eye removed in 2006.
Stoke considering future of Hughes but he's expected to be in charge for Saturday's FA Cup match
The club are reluctantly exploring options following Monday’s home defeat to Newcastle off the back of a much-changed team losing 5-0 to Chelsea. Board members are alarmed by current form.
Brighton striker Murray admits they could have done without FA Cup 'war' against rivals Crystal Palace
The last meeting between the clubs at the Amex Stadium in November led to fan trouble and security is being stepped up for their showdown this Monday night in the FA Cup.
Swansea players blasted by Souness for NOT surrounding ref after 'offside' goal for Tottenham: 'That's a real concern'
Sky Sports pundit Souness believes that Swansea's players should have made a bigger fuss after falling behind to a controversial Fernando Llorente goal in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Tottenham.
Kent set to return to Liverpool from spell in Germany as they prepare to loan out Woodburn and Ejaria
Liverpool winger Ryan Kent is expected to return to Anfield after a disappointing loan spell with Freiburg. Liverpool are, however, ready to allow Ben Woodburn and Ovie Ejaria out this month.
Former Chelsea star Essien honoured with abysmal statue in Ghanaian capital Accra
There have been plenty of examples where turning a footballer into a statue hasn't quite worked out but a recently revealed sculpture of Michael Essien has to be up there with the worst. A statue of the former Chelsea midfielder has been erected in Accra, the capital city of his homeland Ghana, and it is fair to say it is pretty appalling. Essien made 256 appearances at Stamford Bridge between 2005 and 2014, helping the Blues to win nine trophies including two Premier League titles.
Former Arsenal and Man City striker Adebayor takes custody of his late brother's son... and names him Junior Emmanuel Adebayor
Former Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has taken custody of his late brother's son - and named him Junior Emmanuel Adebayor. The 33-year-old, who currently plays for Turkish league leaders Istanbul Basaksehir, made the announcement on his Instagram account, where they are pictured eating together. Adebayor lost his elder brother Peter in July 2013, leaving the youngster behind.
Oldham assistant Jewell resigns after just one month in job following Latics' slide down League One table
Former Wigan and Bradford boss Jewell, 53, was appointed as Latics manager Richie Wellens' assistant at the end of November. Oldham released a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Ronaldo 'hands Real Madrid his transfer wishlist' with two keepers wanted and NO forwards who will threaten his throne
Cristiano Ronaldo has handed a list of transfer demands to Real Madrid officials outlining where he believes they need to improve ahead of next season, according to Diaro Gol.
Barcelona confirm Dembele has fully recovered from his thigh injury and is ready to return to action
Dembele, who moved to the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund for £96.8m, ruptured a tendon in his left thigh during Barca's 2-1 win over Getafe in September on his La Liga debut.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk once washed pots in a restaurant... now he's worth £75m and the most expensive defender in the history of football
For Virgil van Dijk, the path to becoming the world's most expensive defender was one littered with pots and pans – as well as pesky strikers. The Dutch international finally agreed a £75million move from Southampton to Liverpool after week after a protracted pursuit from Jurgen Klopp's side. The world-record deal caps an incredible rise for the defender – who was once urged to put his effort into pot-washing rather than football.
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