Chelsea handed two conditions in major Premier League statement before Arsenal clash

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Stephen Warnock claims Chelsea can be regarded as genuine title contenders if they manage a statement win against Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues welcome the Premier League leaders to Stamford Bridge as they aim to damage the Gunners' championship hopes.

Enzo Maresca's men trail Arsenal by six points heading into the clash but have already defeated reigning champions Liverpool at home this season. Chelsea will also take confidence from their commanding 3-0 midweek triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League , which extended their undefeated streak to six fixtures - claiming victory in five of those.

And Warnock believes Chelsea can be viewed as contenders if they defeat Arsenal. However, he concedes there are certain problems the Blues must address, particularly their lack of consistency.

He told football.london via WhichBookie: "If they win that game yeah [they are title contenders]. There's still maybe inconsistencies with Chelsea, a lot of things labelled at Chelsea is that they're a young team, they're going to be naïve, make mistakes but what they have got is quality.

"We know that, if they can beat Arsenal and play anywhere near like they did against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge then they're in for a tough game.

"But Arsenal look flawless in everything that they're doing, I can't wait for it, I think it's going to be a cracking game, if they are to win that game they're definitely in the mix. But there are some inconsistencies in the team."

Chelsea received a welcome boost ahead of Sunday's clash with their London rivals as Cole Palmer was declared fit to play . The 23-year-old suffered a setback last week when he fractured his toe, just as he was nearing full fitness following a groin injury sustained against Manchester United in September.

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Maresca said: "He is available to start. Everyone is happy, the team-mates are happy, we are all happy and the most important thing is Cole is happy because a footballer wants to play games and make the sessions every day.

"He is our best player, we are happy he is back. We need to give him time to be 100% fit. He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do very good for this club in the future."

It's been an incredible season for Chelsea thus far, who have achieved seven wins, two draws and three losses from their opening 12 outings. However, Maresca knows the task at hand when he meets Mikel Arteta's Gunners this weekend.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: "For sure, Arsenal defend fantastically. Any team against them struggles to score goals. Not only to score goals but to create chances. So as a team, they defend very well, and they have weapons when they attack.

"And they’re not just [a threat from set-pieces] against one or two teams, they score goals from set-pieces against any team. Against Bayern Munich , they scored their first goal from a corner. They score goals against any team, they have a system in place that works very well, and we will do our best to stop them."

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