"So there is a lot of traffic for him to get through" - Pundit urges Chelsea to change formation against Arsenal because of one player

TalkSPORT pundit and former Chelsea footballer Jason Cundy has urged Blues boss Graham Potter to adopt a 3-5-2 formation for the clash against Arsenal. He believes playing in that shape would help his former team limit Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka's influence in the game.

Xhaka has played a vital role in Arsenal's incredible start to the season and has been one of the best midfielders in the league this term. The Swiss international has been given the license to move further forward to help the Gunners' midfield break their opponents' press and supply their attackers.

He will undoubtedly be key for Mikel Arteta's team when they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday, November 6.

Cundy believes stopping Xhaka will be key and feels adopting a 3-5-2 shape could help the Blues do that. He said on the "Highbury Squad" (as quoted by HITC):

“I would go 3-5-2 at the weekend with [Raheem] Sterling and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, just so that they give Arsenal something to think about at the weekend. We haven’t spoken about Xhaka yet with the runs he makes from deep, who saw that in his game?”

The former footballer continued:

“Then you have [Martin] Odegaard too, but he doesn’t go as far as Xhaka. Which goal was it at the weekend where he went beyond, that’s the goal, that’s why I would consider going with 5 in the middle of the park so there is a lot of traffic for him [Xhaka] to get through.”

Thanks to the shift in his midfield responsibilities, Xhaka has already chipped in with four goals and three assists across all competitions this season.

Chelsea and Arsenal endured contrasting results in their previous league games

The match between Chelsea and Arsenal is undoubtedly the headline fixture in the Premier League this weekend. The form guide and league table certainly favors the Gunners, who are in first place, over the sixth-placed Blues.

Mikel Arteta's side will enter this clash on the back of a 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest at the Emirates in their last league game. A brace by Reiss Nelson, combined with goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard saw Arsenal trounce a hapless Forest side.

💪 Big team performance in N5️⃣ https://t.co/OmC080l7CH

Graham Potter's men, meanwhile, were on the receiving end of a 4-1 hammering from Brighton & Hove Albion. Own goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah along with Leandro Trossard's early strike put the Seagulls 3-0 up.

Kai Havertz scored a second-half consolation for Chelsea, but Pascal Gross netted a fourth late in the game to seal an emphatic Brighton win.