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Preview: Both clubs aiming to bounce back after defeat in their last match
Year after year, Arsene Wenger states his desire to end Arsenal's trophy drought, but at the end the season, the Gunners continue to come up short.
This time around, the French manager went out and made a big purchase by signing Mesut Özil on deadline day, and Arsenal could go back to the top of the Premier League, depending on how Monday's match plays out.
Arsenal's last time out was an expected difficult match at the Etihad, and after the match was said and done, critics continued to stand by their point of Arsenal not being a title contender.
Whenever you concede six goals is never a positive, but they were also up against a Manchester City squad that has scored freely at home. And not to mention, prior to that match, they had strung together five clean-sheets in seven league matches, while winning five, drawing one and losing one.
But regardless of that, the Gunners will continue to have their doubters as they have continued to have since their last title. And after Monday's match, they could either have people believe in them again, or a defeat to Chelsea would really take some wind out of their sail.
Without Laurent Koscielny in the squad due to a deep cut to his knee, Thomas Vermaelen will get the start along side Per Mertesacker. The Belgian has struggled over the last two years, and it appears that taking over as captain has put some added pressure on him, but when called upon during the current campaign, the Arsenal center-back has responded well.
One positive note for the Gunners will be the return of Lukas Podolski, who had been sidelined for quite some time after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League.
If called upon, Podolski will be up against a Chelsea defense that has been conceding goals very often much to the discontent of Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho will have Ivanovic back in the squad, after he served a suspension. His return to the squad will force Azpilicueta to left back, seeing as the Portuguese manager prefers the Spanish defender over Ashley Cole at the moment.
Chelsea is coming off a frustrating elimination from the Capital One Cup last week, with Sunderland scoring an overtime goal to send them through to the next round.
In the league, Chelsea are currently fifth, but a victory on Monday could put them top of the table, even on 36 points with Liverpool.
The Blues have already defeated the Gunners this season, in a Capital One Cup match at the Emirates, where Mourinho's side won 2-0.
Seeing how the last four Premier League Champions have been top of the table on Christmas Day, both these London rivals will want to take the full three points, which should make for an entertaining fixture.
Where to watch this match - Live Stream, Start Time, TV Channels, Live Scores
Watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live on Monday, December 23, 2013:
In Canada at 15:00 ET on: Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet World, TalkSport Radio
In the UK at 20:00 BST on: Arsenal Player, Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Go UK, NOW TV powered by Sky, BBC One, Sky Sports 3D, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, BBC Radio 5 Live
In the USA at 15:00 ET on: SiriusXM FC, TalkSport Radio, NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Network
This match between title contenders is one you will not want to miss. If you are outside of these viewing areas, check out the Arsenal vs Chelsea match page for full TV listings.
