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What team should Arsene Wenger pick when Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Saturday?

Arsene Wenger will be desperate to win at Stamford Bridge

Friday 18 September 2015 10:57 BST

The Community Shield victory doesn't really count.

Arsene Wenger is still without a win against Jose Mourinho in 13 matches that matter, and has beaten him in one that doesn't - you're allowed to use five subs for starters.

This time last week, Arsenal would have been full of confidence going into the match, sitting third in the Premier League with 10 points from five matches, while Chelsea sit just two points above the relegation zone with just one win from their first five.

Arsenal beat Chelsea to win the Community Shield - but does that really count?

But the return of the Champions League seems to have come at the worst time for Arsenal and the best time for the Blues - Chelsea impressed, albeit against a second-rate Maccabi Tel Aviv, to win 4-0, while Arsenal were terrible in a shock win at Dinamo Zagreb.

Not many of the Arsenal players who played in Croatia impressed, while Jose Mourinho has given himself plenty to think about for the clash at Stamford Bridge.

Here, we look at the XI Wenger should pick for the match:

The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

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1/11The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

GK: Petr Cech

A homecoming for the big goalkeeper, who will be desperate to show Jose Mourinho that he was wrong to sell him. The man who replaced him, Thibaut Courtois, is of course out with an injury. Typical.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

RB: Mathieu Debuchy

Plenty will disagree with this choice as Hector Bellerin is in fine form and among the best right-backs in the division at the moment. But, for all his attacking gifts, the young Spaniard is still a raw, sometimes anxious defender. Eden Hazard is going through the worst patch of his Chelsea career but still has the quality to punish mistakes. Debuchy is the steady, boring choice but he's a better defender and much more experienced. Arsenal have to not lose the game before they can win it.

The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

CB: Gabriel Paulista

Per Mertesacker is back to fitness but shouldn't be risked in a game of this magnitude, especially with Paulista doing nothing wrong while standing in for the last two matches. The Brazilian outperformed Laurent Koscileny in Zagreb.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

CB: Laurent Koscielny

He may be beloved by Arsenal fans but the Frenchman makes too many major errors to be considered one of the Premier League's very best. At 30 that should no longer be in his game, and he's lucky he still possesses the pace to get himself out of trouble.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

LB: Nacho Monreal

Kieran Gibbs once again proved he is nowhere close to the level of the Spaniard in a terrible performance on Wednesday. Gibbs is the better, more athletic attacker, but is a constant source of weakness as a defender and is always out of position. Monreal is a smart defender and makes up for his lack of athleticism by producing better deliveries than his rival.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

CM: Francis Coquelin

Probably the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League right now, given the drop in form Nemanja Matic has suffered. Coquelin will have to be at his very best if Arsenal are to win at Stamford Bridge. He is well on his way already, but if he can fine-tune his game when he gets on the ball he has a chance of becoming one of the best midfielders in the world.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

CM: Santi Cazorla

Had an awful game in Zagreb but Arsenal's creator-in-chief has been one of the Gunners' best, and most underrated, players of the last 18 months. His set-piece delivery will be a source of constant danger and he is a real goal threat.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

CM: Aaron Ramsey

Back in central midfield, we are still waiting for Ramsey, still without a goal or assist this season, to find top form. But he is an energetic, fast presence whose superior athleticism will cause problems for Matic, Fabregas and whichever other midfielder Jose Mourinho opts to pick.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

RW: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

The most debatable choice in this XI, the winger comes in ahead of the divisive Mesut Ozil. The German's qualities are not in doubt, he is one of the best playmakers in the world, but Chelsea's biggest weakness this season has been dealing with pace and movement; Oxlade-Chamberlain is not afraid to drive at a defence. One of the few players to emerge with credit against Dinamo, the Englishman will be more of a problem than Ozil for this particular contest.

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The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

LW: Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean is still without a goal this season and looks to have a little bit of a hangover from his exploits in the Copa America. But he remains Arsenal's most dangerous player and will be a real handful for whoever Mourinho picks on the right.

The XI Arsenal should play against Chelsea

ST: Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott missed a hatful of chances at Stoke last weekend and it's not clear if he'll ever become a completely reliable striker, but including an appearance for England he now has four goals in his last three matches. John Terry, if he plays, has always struggled with pace and Walcott will provide a much bigger challenge for the veteran centre-back than the physical, slow and current villain Olivier Giroud.

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