• Chelsea have not lost at home under manager Jose Mourinho, a 45-match run. It is 51 games since they were last beaten at Stamford Bridge – a 2-1 loss to Arsenal on February 21, 2004.

• Last season Chelsea defeated Arsenal home and away – their first Premier League double over the Gunners.

• Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole will play against his former team, but William Gallas, who had moved in the opposite direction – from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates Stadium – is injured and will miss the match, as will Arsenal captain Thierry Henry (injury) and centre-back Kolo Toure (suspension).
 
• This will be the 139th League meeting between the London rivals. Arsenal have won 57 of the encounters and Chelsea 39, with 42 matches drawn.

• Chelsea remain the only Premiership club to have scored in every match this season.

• For Arsenal, this is the a consecutive London derby. They lost at Fulham 2-1, beat Tottenham 3-0 and now travel to the Bridge.

• It is 21 matches since a Premiership game involving Chelsea ended goalless.
 
• Chelsea trail Manchester United by nine points with two matches in hand going into this game.  Arsenal find themselves 19 points from the top -- also with two games in hand). This is the Gunners' worst points tally  at this stage since 1998/99 when they finished runners-up to Manchester United.
 
• Frank Lampard is about to make his 350th appearance in the Premier League. The Chelsea midfielder is looking for his 77th goal for the Blues – which will make him the top midfield scorer in the club's history

• Cesc Fabregas could make his 100th start in an Arsenal shirt, while Alexander Hleb is looking forward to his 50th start for the Gunners.
 
• The referee today, Alan Wiley, has taken charge of 15 Premiership matches this season – a record. He has booked 43 players and sent off three.

BLAST FROM THE PAST:  Chelsea 2 Arsenal 3 (October 23, 1999)

Everything was going smoothly for Chelsea when they hosted their North London foes for the first meeting of the 1999-2000 season. Norwegian striker Tore Andre Flo scored after 38 minutes and Dan Petrescu, the Romanian defender, made it 2-0 seven minutes after the break.

Most of the 35,000 spectators at the Bridge were basking in the perceived glory of a famous home win as time began to run out for Arsenal. But with 15 minutes left, the Gunners embarked on a sensational comeback, planned and executed by one man -- Nwankwo Kanu.

The Nigerian forward struck after 75 minutes to make it 1-2, equalised with a solo goal eight minutes later, and put the icing on the cake with a stunning winner seconds before the final whistle.

Kanu now plays for Portsmouth, and his goal against Everton yesterday was his ninth this season. It also put him on top of this season's Premiership goalscorers' table.