Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he expected Chelsea to be “contenders” to win the Premier League this season.
The teams meet at Emirates Stadium on Sunday (13:30 GMT) with the Gunners currently second in the table and the Blues six points behind them in fourth.
However, the prospect of either catching runaway leaders Liverpool, who are 15 points clear at the top having played a game more, appears remote.
The realistic aim now for Arsenal and Chelsea appears to be ensuring their place in next season’s Champions League, with fifth spot now looking likely to be sufficient. The Gunners will also face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition this season.
But Arteta suggested he had anticipated greater things from Chelsea under Enzo Maresca this term.
“From the moment I watched them play in pre-season, understanding how Enzo works and the talent they have in the squad, they were contenders to even win it from the beginning,” said the Spaniard.
“They have so much there. The moment that everything lies together and they find that connection, energy and consistency, I think they can compete with any team.”
Chelsea had briefly looked like being the closest challengers to Liverpool in December when they moved to within two points of top spot following a five-game winning run.
Yet they have managed just four victories in 12 games since, with a number of frailties, particularly in defence, exposed.
While Chelsea’s style of play and recurring problems have drawn criticism from their own supporters, Arteta has backed former Leicester manager Maresca to get it right.
“He’s a magnificent coach,” Arteta added.
“He’s very clear what he wants to do, he’s been very clear what he wants and how he does it. I really like the way his team plays.”
Meanwhile, Arteta said defender Myles Lewis-Skelly, who received his first England call-up on Friday in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad, showed his potential on the club’s pre-season United States tour.
“You see the talent,” he said of the 18-year-old, who only made his senior debut in September.
“You see how they react to certain stimulus or challenges. Then you start to think we’ve got a player here – but then you have to do it. I was very impressed with him in the States when he came on against Liverpool as a sub.
“His consistency, his habits and the way he trains every single day, give you the right reasons all the time to consider him. The best way to talk is on the pitch, for any player.”
