There will not be many games left this season where this is the case, but Arsenal might reasonably feel going into Sunday’s game that the pressure is just as much on their opponents as it is the title contenders. The title might be the Premier League’s holy grail, but for the league’s elite, any campaign is tolerable if it ends in Champions League qualification.
Whether Chelsea’s does is an extremely live issue with 11 games left for the Blues. For the time being, they occupy fifth place, almost certain to be good enough to qualify for the Champions League. However, their fixture list looks to be by far the most difficult of the clutch of teams chasing the top two. After their trip to the Emirates Stadium, it is Villa Park and an opponent who sit third in the league. Before the end of April, Stamford Bridge hosts Newcastle and both Manchester clubs, United looking a particularly compelling force, while there are trips to Everton and Brighton to consider. Combine that with their involvement in the Champions League and FA Cup, and the demands are growing on Liam Rosenior.
“I want the players to be as physically and mentally fresh as possible,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “They’ve looked really good in training this week. We need to stay calm and consistent in our process. This club should be in the Champions League; this club is a Champions League club. When I took over, we were eighth. We’re now in the race.”
It is a race where the cost of not winning is high. The last time Chelsea were out of the Champions League in 2024-25, they won the Conference League, earning themselves around $25 million. The mere reaching of Europe’s leading club competition would guarantee them twice that, to say nothing of the riches on offer for progress through the tournament. Last season, Liverpool earned around $115 million for reaching the round of 16.
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The need for onfield success to boost the coffers looked all the greater when UEFA launched its Club Finance & Investment Landscape report for 2025, which adjudged Chelsea to have made the greatest pre-tax loss in English football history, nearly $500 million in the preceding 12 months. Chelsea’s own accounts have not been published for the same period and there could be significant divergence given how UEFA assesses actions such as the sale of the women’s team to a linked company.
Whatever the delta between the two, there are some matters which remain clear. Chelsea are carrying significant unamortised fees on the books, given their major investment in players on long term contracts, and they are not maximizing revenue elsewhere, for instance, only announcing a front-of-shirt partner earlier this month. With so many other pressures elsewhere, the situation would be eased no end by Champions League money.
“My job is to focus on the team, trying to make the team and the squad as strong as possible to win things,” said Rosenior. “I will have those conversations with the ownership and those above me. [Finances] are not something that is at the forefront of my mind. I just want to make sure we are successful on the pitch.”
Being successful on the pitch on Sunday may be more challenging without Marc Cucurella, the left back still sidelined with a thigh injury. Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens are also unavailable, but Reece James would appear to be fit. Romeo Lavia is also stepping up his recovery but there seem to be more selection headaches for Rosenior than his counterpart Mikel Arteta, who could welcome back Kai Havertz to his side with the Germany forward scheduled to return to training on Saturday.
Rosenior could dearly do with a few of those headaches easing soon so he can get on with the most significant issue for the remainder of this season, keeping Chelsea in possession of the fifth place they currently hold.
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, March 1 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium — London
- TV: NBCSN | Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Arsenal -167; Draw +290; Chelsea +400
