Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is relishing the prospect of facing longtime friend Xabi Alonso in the Premier League for the first time when the defending champions host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The match is scheduled for 2pm local time (13:00 GMT).

Both sides have made perfect starts to the season, with Arsenal and Chelsea each taking six points from their opening two matches. Arteta and Alonso, both 44, grew up together in Spain's Basque Country and have remained close throughout their playing and coaching careers.

"I am really happy for him. It's incredible because obviously we have the history we have together," Arteta told reporters on Friday. "To be facing each other at such a level and with the responsibility we have managing some of the top clubs in the country is a really beautiful thing to experience."

Chelsea's attack has been impressive early in the campaign, with Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer all finding form in front of goal. However, Arteta emphasized that controlling the flow of the game would be crucial. "That will depend on a lot of factors and game state is a massive one, especially because the two games that they played, they scored very, very early and that changes the momentum," he said.

Arsenal were linked with a number of high-profile attacking targets during the transfer window, including Rogers, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior, but their only forward addition was Greece winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. Arteta brushed off suggestions that Arsenal had fallen short in the market: "I don't know, these are just opinions. The window is closed and I prefer to look at all the incredible things that we have in this squad."

Arsenal will rely heavily on the likes of Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka, but Arteta insisted the attack is not weaker compared with last season, despite the departures of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli. "We have to understand the amount of minutes that those players played and the ones that were injured last year, especially in the first six months, and the data shows something completely different," he explained.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso hopes everyone at Stamford Bridge can now "move forward" following the protracted sale of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for a British record-equalling £125 million ($169m) deal. The move for Lamine Camara collapsed, but Alonso insisted his focus is on the future. "We take all the decisions together. We want to build a good spirit and a good team," he said.

The Opta supercomputer gives Arsenal a 56 percent chance of victory, while Chelsea's chances are rated at 21 percent. This will be the 216th meeting between the sides, with Arsenal winning 87 encounters and Chelsea taking the spoils on 66 occasions.

Arsenal's Cristhian Mosquera and Bruno Guimaraes are doubts due to injuries, but Ezri Konsa is set to make his full debut. Chelsea's Moises Caicedo is also a doubt, while Jordan Henderson and Marco Palestra are confirmed absentees.

Source: www.aljazeera.com