Arsene Wenger reacts to alleged Mourinho break his face comment

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger says he will certainly will not read a book based on Jose Mourinho in which the Portuguese allegedly threatened to find him one day outside a football pitch and I will break his face. Rob Beasley is a sports journalist who has written a book about Mourinho, having regular meetings and been given access to the Special Ones emails and text messages.

Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (24 September) with the Gunners looking to continue their winning run in the league and make it four consecutive wins.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 5.30pm BST. Live TV coverage is available on BT Sport 1 and 1 HD. Catch the highlights on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.20pm GMT.

Overview

Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, which will be the first meeting between Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte. It will see two managers who employ contrasting styles of football come up against each other. The Italian manager is more defensively minded, while the Frenchman prefers a more fluent passing style, which is based on dominating possession for most parts of the game.

The north London club have a poor record against the Blues in recent years and have failed to beat Chelsea in their last nine meetings. Matches in the past were much anticipated not only because it was a derby between two Premier League big guns, but also due to the intense rivalry between Wenger and then manager Jose Mourinho.

The Gunners could have Olivier Giroud fit for the clash against Chelsea after the Frenchman returned to training this week; he is yet to make a start this season. The manager, however, has a big decision to make regarding who will play in midfield behind Mesut Ozil with Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Granit Xhaka showing good form. The latter has been on the bench for the last two Premier League games, but showed good form coming off the bench against Watford and during Arsenals 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. He has also scored two goals in the last two games, which makes him a prime candidate to start against the Blues.

Conte, meanwhile, is also facing a minor defensive crisis as John Terry failed to recover in time for the visit to the Emirates Stadium, which will see David Luiz partner Gary Cahill for the third game in a row. Chelsea will be in a buoyant mood following their midweek comeback win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup and will hope to bring the momentum to the Premier League and register their first win in three games after drawing against Swansea City and losing to Liverpool in their last two fixtures.

Match Stat: Chelsea are unbeaten in nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (W6, D3).

What managers say

Arsene Wenger: We have talked about that because in the last two games we played against Chelsea with 10 men. So of course for the result on Saturday it will be important how we play football, but also the way we behave.

Antonio Conte: This is a big game between two big rivals. Its important to play a good game. Above all after our defeat against Liverpool. But we know that well face a team, a good team, a big rival.

Betting Odds (Betfair)

Arsenal win: 11/8
Draw: 12/5
Chelsea win: 21/10

Arsenal

Injured: Welbeck, Mertesacker, Ramsey, Jenkinson
Doubtful: Giroud
Suspended: N/A

Possible XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Cazorla; Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi; Sanchez.

Chelsea

Injured: Terry
Doubtful: N/A
Suspended: N/A

Possible XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Kante, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Costa.

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