Frank Lampard could hand Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a start against his former side Arsenal on Tuesday night, with the Chelsea boss believing the striker will have a ‘certain motivation’ playing against them. Aubameyang left Arsenal in January 2022 after being stripped of the armband and kicked out of the club by Mikel Arteta following a disciplinary issue. The 33-year-old has been unable to solve Chelsea’s goal-scoring woes this season but has forced his way back into the side in recent weeks, coming off the bench in defeats to Wolves and Brentford. When asked if Aubameyang could feature against his former side this week, Lampard told a press conference: ‘We’ll see, I’ve got Auba, Kai, David Fofana. I’m obviously not going to divulge the team right here but he’s fit and ready.’ Asked if the striker’s Arsenal connection could play a role in his team selection, Lampard added: ‘Possibly, because I think we all think sometimes a player going back to their old club gives them certain motivation. I haven’t delved into that too much with Auba himself. I’ll pick that position on feeling, my feeling of how they trained and what the team structure looks like.’
Chelsea head to the Emirates on Tuesday night having lost every game since Lampard’s arrival at the club as interim boss, a run of five straight defeats for the Blues. As a result, they have slipped down to 12th place following Crystal Palace’s weekend victory and are now level on points with Bournemouth, who have only now steered themselves away from the relegation battle. Arsenal meanwhile are reeling from their own run of disappointing form that has seen them relinquish control of the Premier League title race, with Manchester City moving top following their win over Fulham on Sunday. Arteta’s side are without a win in their last four games, drawing three before their humbling defeat at the Etihad last Thursday.