There was once a time when Chelsea versus Arsenal was a foregone conclusion, Jose Mourinho famously boasting a near-impeccable record against his opposite number whilst in the Stamford Bridge dugout. But Antonio Conte's record against the Gunners is far less encouraging - one win and three defeats from four encounters, not least including this season's Community Shield final. That suggests Chelsea face a tough task in the Premier League this Sunday, despite their London rivals' poor start to the season. But Conte can turn around his record against Arsenal this weekend when they travel to west London, provided he finds the correct answers to these four questions...

Is Eden Hazard ready to start?

When fully fit, there's no question Eden Hazard is one of the most valuable assets in the Premier League and certainly the most potent weapon at Antonio Conte's disposal. But after missing pre-season and the opening weeks of the campaign proper with injury, the Belgium international is still on the slow road to recovery - and Conte appears determined not to rush him back into the starting XI ahead of schedule. Hazard now has two substitute outings under his belt, totalling just shy of 45 minutes, but the winger still looked off the pace against Qarabag in midweek, committing as many unsuccessful touches as successful dribbles and missing 25% of his passes. So, is this the occasion to bring Hazard back into the fold, or should Conte limit his talismanic creator to another appearance from the bench?

Is 3-4-3 the right system?

In stark contrast to his predecessor, Conte's record against Arsenal is decisively poor, losing three of his four encounters with the Gunners thus far. Of course, the first was the 3-0 humiliation that inspired the switch to 3-4-3 which slingshot Chelsea to the top of the Premier League - Conte and the Blues have hardly looked back since. But the three meetings that followed, even using the trusted 3-4-3 system, produced just one win, including a defeat in last season's FA Cup final when the Gunners matched up tactically with their London rivals. So, does Conte need to spring a surprise on his opposite number by setting up slightly differently? The 3-6-1 setup used against Tottenham earlier this season wasn't pretty but certainly did the trick, Chelsea eventually grinding out a 2-1 win against the run of play. Like Spurs, Arsenal like to keep the ball and unlock teams in central areas - could the same tweak work twice?

What can be learned from Liverpool's 4-0 win?

It's always good to borrow ideas from successful rivals and fortunately for Chelsea, Liverpool have already laid down the template for how to humiliate Arsenal when they're away from home this season, dishing out a 4-0 romping of the Gunners prior to the international break. It seems almost implausible Arsenal can put in another away performance against another top six rival as bad as that, but there are aspects of Liverpool's play Chelsea can naturally mimic. Like the Reds, they have the power and strength in central areas to bog down Arsenal in the middle of the pitch and then hit them on the counter out wide, where the pace of Willian particularly (echoing that of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane) can cause all kinds of problems for the Gunners' ever-disorganised defence. Knowing how devastating he can be when running at players too, that might just convince Conte to start Hazard on the opposite flank.

How can Chelsea take advantage of the pressure and uncertainty at Arsenal?

Arsenal may have finished up all smiles last weekend after strolling to a relatively routine victory over Bournemouth at home but make no mistake about it - the pressure is still on the north London club and most particularly Arsene Wenger. Rather than a 3-0 win against the Cherries, meetings with top six opposition and particularly Chelsea - who Arsenal have been stuck in the shadow of ever since Jose Mourinho first arrived in the Premier League in 2004 - are what disillusioned Gunners fans, and the wider footballing world, will judge Wenger and this team on. The key for Chelsea, therefore, is finding ways of applying even more pressure on Arsenal before kickoff and during the match itself. Perhaps that requires some cute turns of phrase from Conte during his interactions with the press in the build up to the game, but starting as the stronger side and getting an early goal will inevitably lead to calls of 'Wenger Out' from the away end.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/PL25(03-04).mp4