Team news and key Opta statistics to help with Fantasy Football picks and bets for the return for the Premier League this weekend.
Sunday April 1
Arsenal v Stoke City
- Date & Sunday April 1, 1330 BST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium
- TV coverage: Sky Sports
- Sky Bet odds: Arsenal 4/11, Draw 4/1, Stoke 7/1
Team news
Stoke could welcome back forward Mame Biram Diouf for Sunday's Premier League trip to Arsenal.
Diouf has missed the last two matches with a shoulder problem but is expected to return along with defender Erik Pieters, who was fined and left out of the squad for the defeat by Everton two weeks ago after breaking a curfew.
Midfielder Charlie Adam begins a three-match ban following his red card against the Toffees while forward Eric Choupo-Moting is expected to be sidelined for a several weeks by a groin problem and Ibrahim Afellay has been banished from the squad by manager Paul Lambert.
Teams
Arsenal (from):
Stoke (from): Butland, Haugaard, Shawcross, Zouma, Martins Indi, Wimmer, Cameron, Bauer, Stafylidis, Pieters, Johnson, Fletcher, Allen, Adam, Ndiaye, Shaqiri, Sobhi, Jese, Berahino, Crouch, Campbell, Diouf.
Opta statistics
- Arsenal have won their last 15 home matches against Stoke in all competitions, a run that stretches back to August 1981 when Stoke won 1-0 at Highbury thanks to a goal by Lee Chapman.
- Stoke, 1-0 winners at the bet365 Stadium earlier this season, haven’t completed a league double over Arsenal since the 1975-76 season.
- Arsenal’s current run of 12 consecutive home top-flight wins against Stoke is their longest winning run in their top-flight history.
- There's 72.9 per cent of Arsenal’s Premier League points this season that have been won in home games, the highest ratio in the division (35/48).
- The Potters are winless in their last 17 Premier League matches in London (W0 D6 L11) since winning 21 at Tottenham in November 2014.
- The Gunners are looking to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since November – they’ve won their last 24 home league matches against sides starting that day in the relegation zone, since a 4-4 draw with Tottenham in October 2008.
- Jese made his Premier League debut in the reverse fixture, scoring the only goal in a game in which he had two shots on target. Since then, he’s played 545 minutes in 12 Premier League games, has had just two more shots on target, hasn’t scored and hasn’t been on the winning side (D4 L8).
- Mesut Ozil has been directly involved in five goals in his five Premier League starts against Stoke (2 goals, 3 assists).
- In just 406 minutes on the pitch together in the Premier League this season, Arsenal pair Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have combined for three goals – no duo has linked up for more at the club this season.
- Only Robbie Fowler (10) and Wayne Rooney (12) have scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal than Peter Crouch (9).
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
- Date & Sunday April 1, 1600 BST
- Venue: Stamford Bridge
- TV coverage: Sky Sports
- Sky Bet odds: Chelsea 23/20, Draw 23/10, Tottenham 12/5
Team news
Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Christensen are doubts for Chelsea's Premier League clash with Tottenham on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Courtois sustained a hamstring problem before the international break, meaning Willy Caballero could deputise, while centre-back Christensen has been struggling with fatigue.
Defender David Luiz (knee) is definitely out, along with midfielder Ross Barkley who is set to feature for the club's under-23 side.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino will give Harry Kane every chance to prove his fitness.
Kane suffered ankle ligament damage three weeks ago and Pochettino said on Thursday that he cannot rule his striker out of the game at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Winks is definitely missing as he sees a specialist over his own ankle injury.
Teams
Chelsea (from): Courtois, Caballero, Eduardo, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Cahill, Chalobah, Christensen, Emerson, Alonso, Moses, Zappacosta, Ampadu, Fabregas, Bakayoko, Kante, Drinkwater, Hudson-Odoi, Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Giroud, Morata.
Tottenham (from): Lloris, Vorm, Gazzaniga, Trippier, Aurier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Foyth, Sanchez, Davies, Rose, Dier, Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Sissoko, Alli, Son, Moura, Lamela, Llorente, Kane.
Opta statistics
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 27 home league matches against Spurs (W18 D9) since losing 2-1 in February 1990.
- Spurs’ 25 games at Stamford Bridge without winning in the Premier League is the most that one team has played on one ground without a single victory in the competition.
- Tottenham have won more points in Premier League London derbies this season than any other side (13 – W4 D1 L2).
- The Blues are looking to do their first league double over Tottenham since the 2005-06 season.
- Spurs have surrendered the lead on each of their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, drawing 2-2 from 2-0 up in May 2016, and losing 2-1 after Christian Eriksen gave them the advantage last term.
- Chelsea are looking to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since December – they’re winless in their last four against fellow ‘big six’ sides (D2 L2), although all of those have been away from home.
- Spurs are unbeaten in six Premier League away games (W4 D2) since a 1-4 loss at Man City in December.
- After a run of nine games in all competitions without a goal, Son Heung-Min has scored seven in his last five for Tottenham.
- Chelsea have had 51 different goalscorers against Tottenham in the Premier League (excluding own goals), more than any team has had against another in the competition.
- Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham have won 59 per cent of their Premier League games in which Harry Kane has featured (won 77/131) compared to just 39 per cent when he’s played no part (5/13).
