Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he would bet on Kai Havertz returning before the end of the season as his recovery from a hamstring injury is ahead of schedule.
Chelsea climbed to fourth place in the Premier League as Enzo Fernandez sealed a 1-0 win that piled pressure on beleaguered Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou on Thursday.
Merino scored in the 20th minute when he stooped to flick his looping header over Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal after a Martin Odegaard corner.
Chelsea returned to the top four of the Premier League on Sunday but made heavy weather of their 1-0 victory over struggling Leicester City, squeezing through with a 60th-minute goal from Spain defender Marc Cucurella.
Maresca's side got back on track after three successive defeats with a dominant display at Stamford Bridge.
A lacklustre Chelsea side trailed to Jarrod Bowen's strike three minutes before halftime but improved after the break with substitute Pedro Neto equalising before Aaron Wan-Bissaka's own goal sent the hosts into fourth place.
Manchester City's new signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov will be in the squad for Saturday's league game against Chelsea, boss Pep Guardiola said ahead of the battle between two teams chasing a Champions League spot.
Enzo Maresca's team were just two points behind leaders Liverpool in mid-December, raising hopes of an unlikely title challenge before losing their way.
Ipswich Town put a dent in Chelsea's Premier League title hopes with a 2-0 win at Portman Road on Monday, but the west London side's head coach Enzo Maresca said no one expected his young team to be in their current position this season.
Chelsea-bound teenager Estevao Willian received his first Brazil call-up on Friday as the 17-year-old was named in the squad for next month's 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.
Manchester City got their Premier League title defence off to a winning start as goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Enzo Maresca in his first match in charge of Chelsea.
Chilwell's contract runs until 2027. The England international has made 106 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Leicester City in 2020 and helped the west London side win the Champions League in the following year.
Chelsea's new coach Enzo Maresca has a Premier League baptism of fire when champions Manchester City visit on Sunday as the Italian scrambles to form a cohesive team from another chaotic transfer window for the Blues.
Manchester City will be without Rodri for the start of their Premier League title defence after Pep Guardiola revealed the Spain midfielder has been ruled out of Sunday's opener against Chelsea.
Mauricio Pochettino agreed to become the head coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team, ESPN and The Athletic reported Thursday.
England forward Cole Palmer has signed a two-year contract extension with Chelsea, the Premier League club announced Tuesday.
Reigning Premier League champion City scored goals 54 seconds apart in the first half and 71 seconds apart in the second half to dominate the fixture, part of a US pre-season tour for both clubs.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said his players were still trying to adjust to his style and tactics after they lost 4-1 to Celtic in a pre-season friendly in Indiana on Saturday.
The video, posted by Argentina international Fernandez on his Instagram account, featured a song sung by some of the Argentina squad about France's players.
