“They are doing very well, but we haven't faced them yet" - Chelsea star Moises Caicedo makes bold claim on Arsenal clash

Chelsea star Moises Caicedo has boldly said that his side can do well against Premier League leaders Arsenal. He believes that the Blues have surprised other sides in recent months and can repeat the same against the Gunners.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Caicedo was asked whether Chelsea can hand Arsenal a reality check at Stamford Bridge this weekend. He was quick to say they have it in them and added that the Gunners have been flying but have yet to face Enzo Maresca's side. He said:

"They are doing really well, but we haven't faced them yet."

Caicedo admitted he was close to joining Arsenal in January 2023, when the Gunners made a move to sign him. However, he waited for a move to Chelsea and said:

"Everything happens for a reason. I almost did it but now I'm here and I'm so happy. The timing was good. I waited until Chelsea came for me. People laughed. They said I chose the wrong place, but sometimes you need time to adapt to a big team. I needed that. I want to give everything to this club because they didn't doubt me. I chose Chelsea because they have ambitions. I want to win trophies – more trophies with this club."

Liverpool also tried to sign Moises Caicedo, and had a £110 million bid accepted by Brighton & Hove Albion, but the midfielder held out for a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea manager on working with Arsenal star Declan Rice

Enzo Maresca has admitted that he worked on extra sessions with Declan Rice while the two were at West Ham United. The Italian manager was an assistant to Manuel Pellegrini and said (via Standard):

"It was a little bit different time when I was at West Ham. He [Rice] was younger. I spent many extra sessions with Declan, one-v-one, and you could see that he was already very good. He was with second-team players as a central defender. Manuel Pellegrini decided to play him in the first team as a midfielder but [he] was different age compared to Moises. But you could see that he was already very, very good."

However, Maresca was not interested in comparing Rice and Caicedo and said:

"He's not playing as a holding midfielder. He's playing forward, he's playing like Enzo Fernandez. It's a different position [from Caicedo's]. It's evolution for him and it's Mikel [Arteta] 's work. He is a fantastic player and he's a complete player. He can defend, he can attack, he can do anything."

The Blues are six points behind leaders Arsenal heading into the Premier League clash this weekend.