Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff, and what a treat it is as runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea welcome London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge. The hosts will be looking to take another step towards a second title in the space of three years, while Arsenal are perilously close to must-win territory following their shock defeat to Watford last time out. It is a fixture worthy of a bumper 90-minute build-up, so let's waste no time in getting started with a look at the home side...

It looks increasingly like Chelsea at the champions-elect this season, with Antonio Conte's side having stormed to the top of the table ever since their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the reverse fixture in September. The Blues have been nigh-on unstoppable since then, winning a club-record 13 Premier League games in a row immediately after and taking 46 points from the last 51 on offer. If they can maintain that form over the final 15 matches of the season then there will be no stopping them from winning the title.

That defeat to the Gunners in September was chastening enough to convince Conte to change his system to a 3-4-3 formation, which immediately paid dividends. Club stalwarts such as Terry and Ivanovic, the latter of whom left the club in January, were dropped from the side and Chelsea found a formula that has seen them win 15 of their last 17 league games, with only one defeat in that time too. However, the only games they have failed to win in that time have come against the other two in the top four - Tottenham and Liverpool.

In fact, while Chelsea have swept away almost all who have come before them this season, their record against the top four is surprisingly poor for a team so far clear at the top of the table. They have won just one of their five games against Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool this season, drawing one and losing three. Indeed, those on their only three defeats all season, but their relentlessness in winning against teams lower down the standings have prevented those results from having an overly adverse affect on their title hopes.

The difference between Chelsea this season from the previous campaign is quite staggering. The Blues have amassed double the amount of points they had managed at the same stage of last term - an improvement of 28 points in the space of 12 months. This time last season Chelsea sat 13th in the Premier League table and were just seven points clear of the relegation zone, whereas now they are nine points clear at the top of the table - a gap which could be extended to 12 points with a victory this afternoon.

A win for Chelsea would put more pressure on the chasing pack, however distant they may be, with Liverpool facing a resurgent Hull City at 3pm and Spurs hosting Middlesbrough in the evening kickoff. Both Manchester clubs are not in action until Sunday either, so a home win this afternoon would be a big step on the way towards the title. The midweek draw with Liverpool proved to be a valuable point gained for Chelsea too, as opposed to two points dropped, as Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester United all failed to win too.

Chelsea could have come away with all three points from Anfield too, but for Diego Costa's missed penalty, which would have all but handed them the title by the start of February considering the other results. Conte's side showed a little more of a reserved streak in that game, which is perfectly understandable with such a commanding lead at the top of the table, but I wouldn't expect them to do the same today. The Blues have been formidable at home and there is no doubt that they will be going for all three points this afternoon.

Chelsea have won their last 10 outings at Stamford Bridge in all competitions, scoring 32 goals and conceding just four in the process. The mathematicians amongst you won't need me to tell you that that is more than three goals per game on average, while the only blotch on their copybook at home all season came back in September when they were beaten by Liverpool. Otherwise, they have won 13 of their 14 homes games this season, including 10 of 11 in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea boast the best home record in the Premier League this season, and they are currently on an eight-match winning streak in front of their own fans in this competition - their best record since a run of 10 came to an end in 2015. They have already won double the number of home games this season as they did last term, with Conte having restored Stamford Bridge to the fortress it has been for the majority of the past decade. Chelsea have averaged three goals per game in that time too, netting 24 and conceding just three during their eight-match winning streak.

Not only have Chelsea been clinical at the sharp end of the field, with only Liverpool and Arsenal having scored more in the Premier League this season, but they have also been very good defensively this season. No team in the league has conceded fewer goals than Chelsea's 16, while their tally of 13 clean sheets is not only the best in the league, but also the joint most in Europe's top five divisions, alongside PSG.

Right, we're one hour away from kickoff, which means team news is incoming any second now...

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Diego Costa, Hazard

CHELSEA SUBS: Begovic, Terry, Zouma, Chalobah, Fabregas, Willian, Batshuayi

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin, Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi; Sanchez

ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Gibbs, Gabriel, Maitland-Niles, Reine-Adelaide, Welbeck, Giroud

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there are no surprises as far as Chelsea are concerned, with the only change coming as Pedro replaces Willian from the side who faced Liverpool on Tuesday. Antonio Conte had no new injury concerns, although there was a minor doubt over both Eden Hazard and David Luiz, who have reportedly been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks. Both were expected to start, though, and sure enough they continue in the starting XI.

Leading the line for Chelsea, as ever, is Diego Costa, who has had something of a hit-and-miss career against Arsenal so far. Indeed, his games against Arsenal serve as quite a good microcosm of his career as a whole, with the Spain international having scored two goals in four games against the Gunners, while in the other two he has picked up yellow cards. He is the league's top scorer this season, alongside Alexis Sanchez, so he will be the main threat for Arsenal to look out for today.

Eden Hazard in another who could pop up at any time to win the game, although the Belgian has been a little off the boil in recent weeks, failing to score in his last five outings. The Blues have not been short of goals, though, with Pedro weighing in with a few and more coming throughout the team. David Luiz was the man who got the goal at Anfield on Tuesday, firing a fine free kick in off the post and past an unprepared Simon Mignolet.

As for Arsenal, the biggest question for Wenger was who to pick in central midfield, with Aaron Ramsey joining Santi Cazorla in the treatment room having picked up a calf injury against Watford on Tuesday. Granit Xhaka is still suspended, while Mohamed Elneny is on Africa Cup of Nations duty, which means that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod in the middle of the park. The Ox was a doubt himself with a slight knee problem, leading to the possibility of Ainsley Maitland-Niles making his full Premier League debut in a relatively unfamiliar central midfield position, but the youngster is only needed for the bench in the end.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's inclusion is one of three changes made by Arsene Wenger today, with the most notable of those coming up front. Olivier Giroud was a doubt for the match having picked up a knock against Watford, but his place on the bench suggests that he is fit if needed, just dropped by Wenger. Instead, joint Premier League top scorer Sanchez leads the Arsenal line, while Theo Walcott comes into the side in place of Giroud. Walcott will play in a trio alongside Ozil and Iwobi - the latter of whom scored against Watford - behind Sanchez

The other change is an expected one in defence as Hector Bellerin returns to the side having been somewhat surprisingly rested for the visit of Watford. The Spaniard was left on the bench for that match as Gabriel Paulista filled in at right-back, but Arsenal are back to what many would consider their strongest defensive quartet today. Mustafi and Koscielny continue their partnership at the heart of the defence, while Monreal retains his place on the left. Behind them, Petr Cech returns to Stamford Bridge once again having forged his career in English football here.

This really is a make-or-break game for Arsenal, and the simple fact of the matter is that they cannot afford to lose if they still harbour any hopes of challenging for the Premier League title. Defeat would leave them 12 points behind Chelsea - surely an unassailable gap considering how well Conte's side are playing - while even a draw would leave the gap at nine points, which is a big ask to overturn over the final 14 games of the season. Victory would see the gap close to a much more manageable six points, but not too many Arsenal fans will be particularly optimistic.

There are plenty of reasons for Arsenal to be slightly pessimistic going into this game, but one of the main ones is what happened last time out. The Gunners have won six and lost none of their last seven games before Watford visited the Emirates on Tuesday, but they quickly fell two goals behind inside the opening 15 minutes and were unable to recover from that as the Hornets registered their first ever Premier League win over Wenger's side. It was also Arsenal's first home defeat since the opening day of the season, and it proved to be a huge missed opportunity considering the rest of the top four also failed to win.

Of course, that could also been seen as the dropped points not being as damaging as they might otherwise have been, but Arsenal are in a position where they need to take such chances now - as indeed are the rest of the chasing pack. Perhaps the most frustrating thing for Arsenal fans would have been that they had started to show signs of character and fight - an attribute which has long been questioned in the team - in coming from three goals down in the final 20 minutes against Bournemouth and beating Burnley with a 97th-minute penalty. The Watford loss would have instilled an all too familiar sense of deja-vu for many of the Arsenal fans, though.

Defeat for Arsenal today could see them drop out of the top four by the end of the weekend, should both Liverpool and Manchester City win, and the Gunners have suffered three defeats in their last eight league outings - as many as in their previous 30 before that. Wenger's side have not lost back-to-back Premier League games twice in the same season since the 2011-12 campaign, but they are in danger of doing that today having also been beaten by Everton and Manchester City in succession in December.

As much as the Watford defeat was criticised as being the 'same old Arsenal', they remain in a better position than Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United when it comes to the top-four race - although fans understandably want more than just the top four having not won the title since 2004. The Gunners are actually three points better off than they were at the same stage of last season, and their current tally of 47 points would have put them top of the table 12 months ago. However, Chelsea have set a relentless pace at the top this term, and Arsenal - like the rest of the league - have not been able to keep up.

The Gunners have only won one of their last four Premier League away games, drawing one and losing two having gone 12 unbeaten on the road prior to that. However, they thrashed Swansea 4-0 in their most recent away league outing and are the top scorers away from home in the division this season having found the back of the net 27 times on their travels. In all competitions Arsenal have won their last three on the road, scoring nine without reply in their last two, while they have only lost two of their last 21.

Arsenal have uncharacteristically fared pretty well in London derbies for far this season, winning three and drawing one of their four meetings with fellow capital clubs. They are the only Premier League team who are unbeaten in London derbies this season, which is a far cry from their record of just one win in eight derbies last tem. They did improve towards the end of the last season in terms of London derbies, though, and they have lost just two of their last 11 league games against teams from the capital - although both of those defeats have come against Chelsea.

When it comes to matches against the top six, though, Arsenal have not done well so far this season. I have already mentioned Chelsea's surprisingly poor record against teams in the top four, but Arsenal have the worst record of any team in the top six when it comes to that mini league, picking up five points from five games against Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and the Manchester clubs. Chelsea are, incidentally, the only team the Gunners have beaten amongst that bunch, drawing with Spurs and United and losing to Liverpool and City.

Arsene Wenger will be sitting in the stands for this match as he serves the third game of his four-match touchline ban for pushing the fourth official in a recent match. Reports suggest that the layout of Stamford Bridge means that Wenger will be forced to sit amongst Chelsea fans, with Arsenal providing their own security for the veteran boss. The Gunners did not fare too well without their manager on the sidelines against Watford on Tuesday, so it will be interesting to see how they get on today.

PREDICTION: Right, we're closing in on kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction! In truth, I can't see much hope of Arsenal getting anything out of this game. Wenger will expect a response from his side after the Watford defeat, but this is the worst match he could have wished for to follow it up. Chelsea are in rampant for, especially in front of their own fans, and I can see them running out fairly comfortable winners. I'll go for a 2-0 home win.

Arsenal do not have a great record at Stamford Bridge in recent seasons, losing on their last four visits and scoring just one goal in the process while conceding 12. The only away ground at which Wenger has lost more in succession is Old Trafford between 2009 and 2013, while he has not seen his side do the double over Chelsea in the same season since the Invincibles managed it in 2003-04.

The last Chelsea manager to fail to win either of his first two games against Arsenal was Jose Mourinho in 2004-05, while the last one to lose his opening two meetings was Glenn Hoddle way back in 1993-94 - a record Conte will be desperate to avoid this afternoon. The 3-0 defeat in the reverse was something of an anomaly for this fixture, though, with Chelsea have won six and drawn three of the previous nine meetings between the two sides.

Indeed, that September defeat at the Emirates was Antonio Conte's heaviest in a league game since 2010, when he was in charge of Siena, while it was Chelsea's heaviest at the hands of Arsenal since April 1997. Arsenal's most recent visit here ended in a 2-0 defeat, though, and the Gunners have seen three players sent off on their last three visits to Stamford Bridge.

Right, the players are out, the atmosphere is great and we're just about ready to go here!

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Chelsea get us underway for this huge London derby!

CLOSE! Almost a dream start for Arsenal as Courtois puts Luiz in all sorts of trouble with a poor pass out from the back. It is quickly pounced upon by Ozil, who works the ball back to Iwobi. The winger steps past Kante but then feeds his shot narrowly wide of the far post.

Chelsea have responded well to that early scare, putting pressure straight back on the home side. This game has got off to a good, quick start.

Arsenal are seeing plenty of the ball in these opening exchanges, and Wenger will be relatively pleased with what he has seen in these opening exchanges. Unlike in many recent games, his side have started full of energy here.

Arsenal almost get in behind as Sanchez pokes the ball through for Walcott, who is on 99 goals for Arsenal in all competitions, but just as he is racing through on goal the flag is raised for offside.

Referee Martin Atkinson is a little lenient here as he turns down a chance to give both Koscielny and Coquelin yellow cards for tackles in the same move. The latter sees the hosts awarded a free kick in a good position...

CHANCE! Chelsea have their first chance of the match as Cahill rises highest in the box from the resulting free kick, but he heads the ball right into the ground and it bounces comfortably into the arms of Cech.

First blood goes to Chelsea! The hosts work their way down the right flank and the ball is crossed in to Costa, who powers a very good header against the crossbar. Cech is beaten as the ball rebounds up into a dangerous area, and Alonso attacks it really well to nod it home. Bellerin was under it waiting for the ball, but Alonso had the run on him and dominated the full-back in the air.

ARSENAL SUB: Bellerin was clattered by Alonso as the Chelsea man scored the opener, and the full-back is not able to continue here. On comes Gabriel Paulista in his place.

Arsenal win a string of corners in succession to put the pressure on Chelsea, but the hosts deal with them all well before Coquelin steers an unorthodox effort over the crossbar.

SHOT! Chelsea go looking for a second here as Costa creates a yard of space in the box before firing a snap shot into the side-netting at the near post. Cech looked to have it covered, but that was sharp play from the Spain international.

Arsene Wenger may have some complaints over the opening goal as Alonso did lead with his elbow, which is what caused Bellerin to be subbed off. However, it was purely for elevation purposes and, for me, the referee was right to allow the goal to stand.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match is shown to Mustafi, who scythed Hazard down having been beaten by the Belgian down the left channel. No complaints there.

Hazard looks to be in some pain following that untidy challenge, which may have exacerbated the injury problem he has been struggling with in recent weeks. He should be able to continue, but Mustafi certainly left his mark there.

Hazard doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from that tackle, and he is starting to get settled into this one. He darts past one man to create space for a ball back to Matic, whose cross is well dealt with by the defence. Chelsea are starting to gain a bit of control over this one.

Arsenal have a free kick in a good crossing position here as Monreal goes down rather theatrically following a block from Moses...

Oxlade-Chamberlain swings the ball in, but there is too much on it and Courtois collects comfortably. The Chelsea keeper immediately launches a counter and Hazard gives the ball to Costa, who has Pedro in support up against one defender. However, the striker takes too many touches and is dispossessed before he can take advantage of the situation.

CHANCE! Decent chance for the hosts as Alonso is found in space on the left flank and pulls a low ball back to Pedro. The Spaniard's effort is not particularly fierce, but Cech can't keep hold of it and spills it behind for a corner.

Chelsea are putting some real pressure on Arsenal now. Hazard, Alonso and Pedro all combine down the left channel this time before Arsenal concede a corner. The delivery comes to nothing, but the hosts remain camped in Arsenal's half right now.

Arsenal started this match relatively well, but in truth they haven't posed much of a threat since Iwobi came close in the second minute. By contrast, Chelsea look dangerous every time they come forward, with Arsenal struggling to deal with them defensively at times so far.

CHANCE! Just as I say that, the visitors have their best chance of the match so far! Oxlade-Chamberlain lifts a cross into the box and Gabriel, still up from a corner moments before, finds himself unmarked in the area. It is a big chance for the sub, but he puts his header straight at Courtois, who tips it over the top.

It has been better from Arsenal in the last few minutes as they begin to see a bit more of the ball in decent positions. That Gabriel chance will be a warning shot for Chelsea, who will want a second goal to give themselves a cushion.

Arsenal just haven't been able to get their key players involved in the game, with Sanchez, Ozil and Walcott all very quiet so far. Sanchez in particularly is being forced to drop deep, which is effectively leaving the visitors without a centre-forward.

Big chance for Chelsea to break here as Pedro tries to find Costa in a two-on-two situation, but Mustafi reads it really well and intercepts the pass. Important piece of defending.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

CHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal at the end of the half as the Gunners work the ball to Ozil in space on the right side of the area. The German delays his shot, cutting inside before eventually going for goal, but his effort is too close to Courtois, who gets down well to save.

The referee brings an end to the first half, and it is Chelsea who go into the break with the lead. It is a deserved lead for the home side too, but Arsenal did come back into the match a little towards the end of that first half. They need to turn things around in the coming 45 minutes if they are to keep their slim title hopes alive.

The only goal of the game so far came after just 13 minutes when Marcos Alonso dominated Bellerin in the air to nod home into an empty net. The initial chance had come from Costa, who met Pedro's cross with a thunderous header which crashed against the crossbar. The ball bounced back up into a dangerous area, and Alonso attacked the ball really well to nod the rebound in.

Cahill, Costa and Pedro have all had sights of goal for Chelsea too, but despite being on the back foot for the most part, it is Arsenal who enjoyed the best chances towards the end of the half. Gabriel planted a header straight at Courtois when unmarked inside the area, while Ozil should have done better in first-half stoppage time when found in space on the right side of the area.

It is Chelsea who have looked the most dangerous for most of the match, but that final 10 minutes or so before half time will act as a reminder that Arsenal are very much still in this game. The next goal could be crucial in this game as it is hard to see Arsenal coming back from two down at Stamford Bridge.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half, with 45 minutes to salvage any title hopes they may still have.

Crucial challenge from Koscielny as he, as the last man, slides in to dispossess Hazard when the Belgian looked to be through on goal. Costa poked the ball through to Hazard, but he had a standing start while Koscielny was on the move, which allowed the Arsenal defender to beat him to the ball.

Wenger will be quite alarmed with how often his centre-backs have been caught out of position in this match. There have been three of four times when it has all suddenly opened up for the hosts, and with a better final ball they could well be out of sight already here.

SHOT! Sight of goal for Hazard as he does a trademark turn to beat his man and create a yard of space, but then he leans back and blasts his effort over the crossbar from range.

Brilliant. Just brilliant from Hazard as he takes the ball from the halfway line to virtually the six-yard box before firing past Cech. It is a wonderful solo effort as he impudently shrugs off the challenge of Coquelin before advancing into the box, beating Koscielny and then hitting his finish into the ground to beat the keeper. A moment of magic from the Belgian.

Stamford Bridge is rocking now. That could well be the goal that settles the game as it is increasingly hard to see the Gunners coming back from this.

That goal only seems to have pumped Chelsea up more, and right now I would not bet against them further extending their lead before the full-time whistle.

Almost a chance for the visitors to haul themselves back into the match as Walcott makes a good run towards the near post, but he is tracked all the way by Cahill, who makes a crucial challenge when the low ball arrives from the left.

We have half an hour left in this one, and Arsenal need to be wary of getting caught on the break now. They have no choice but to go for it, but Chelsea look like cutting through them on the break, even if the hosts' final pass has been lacking a little.

Concern for Chelsea here as Alonso goes down and requires treatment, but the wing-back should be fine to continue.

Better from Arsenal as Monreal makes his way down the left channel and plays a low ball right across the face of goal. There is no-one there to put the ball in the back of the net, though.

ARSENAL SUB: The visitors make their second change of the match as Olivier Giroud comes on in place of Coquelin.

Almost another shooting chance for the hosts as Hazard cuts inside from the right flank and feeds the ball inside. It is Alonso who gets the opportunity, but his effort is well blocked before it can trouble Cech.

Chelsea just look so much more dangerous than Arsenal here. The hosts look capable of scoring every time they come forward, whereas it is getting increasingly difficult to see where a goal will come from for Arsenal.

ARSENAL SUB: A third and final change from Arsenal as Danny Welbeck comes on for Walcott.

YELLOW CARD! Welbeck is immediately into the action as he takes on Matic, who is forced to foul him and gets a yellow card for his troubles.

Arsenal win a free kick in a good position and Ozil floats it into the area, but it is easily dealt with by Chelsea and the flag is up anyway.

Hazard goes down clutching his head following a clash with Gabriel, who is a little fortunate to get away without a warning from the ref. He gave the Belgian a little knock in the face, and knew exactly what he was doing.

Less than 15 minutes remaining now, and there really does not seem to be a way back for the Gunners now. This could well be the final throes of their title hopes.

CHANCES! Two chances in quick succession for Arsenal to pull a goal back! The first sees Welbeck steer a header towards the bottom corner which Courtois is at full stretch to claw away, while from the resulting corner Mustafi loses his marker but can only plant a header wide of the near post when he should have done better.

Chelsea are back applying pressure now with a couple of corners in quick succession, but Arsenal deal with both of them to prevent further damage.

As things stand, then, Chelsea will be moving 12 points clear at the top of the table today. Liverpool and Tottenham are both in action later today and will be hoping to reduce the gap back to nine and 10 respectively, but the title is very much Chelsea's to lose now.

CHELSEA SUBS: A double change from Antonio Conte here as Hazard and Pedro are replaced by Cesc Fabregas and Willian.

Revenge complete for Chelsea. Having lost 3-0 at the Emirates in September, they now lead 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. It is a shocker from Cech to gift Fabregas, of all people, the goal against his former club, just a minute after coming on. The Arsenal keeper gives the ball straight to the Spaniard, who lifts it back over Cech and in.

CHELSEA SUB: A third and final change for Chelsea as Kurt Zouma replaces Moses.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Chelsea to grab a fourth as Alonso sneaks into the box at the back post and gets his head to a cross, but it is easy for Cech to collect.

CHANCE! Chelsea want that fourth goal here. Costa picks the ball up on the left and cuts inside, but with men in the middle he instead goes for goal from a tight angle and fires it over.

Giroud pulls a consolation back for Arsenal in stoppage time as he plants a header into the bottom corner. Courtois got his hand to the ball and will feel that he should have saved it, but there was just too much power on the header.

It is all over at Stamford Bridge, then - a statement which could apply to both the match and Arsenal's title hopes. Chelsea cruise to a 3-1 win over the Gunners courtesy of goals from Alonso, Hazard and Fabregas, while Giroud pulled a consolation back for the visitors late on. Hazard's stunning solo effort was the pick of the bunch as Chelsea move 12 points clear at the top of the table ahead of the 3pm fixtures.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as Chelsea put three past Arsenal to move 12 points clear at the top of the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!