Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has acknowledged the unusual situation both his side and Arsenal face heading into Sunday’s Premier League showdown, with neither team having a recognised striker available.

With Nicolas Jackson sidelined due to injury, Chelsea are expected to deploy winger Pedro Neto as a makeshift centre-forward, while Arsenal have recently used midfielder Mikel Merino in a similar role.

“Yeah, it’s quite strange for both, because we have all of them injured, but I think they are trying to find a solution. We are trying to find a solution at the same time,” Maresca said ahead of the game.

Despite Neto’s lack of experience playing through the middle, Maresca expressed confidence in the Portuguese winger’s ability to adapt to the role if needed.

“Pedro, since we started, is doing, I think, very well in that position. We’ll see if Sunday we use Pedro there or we change something,” he added.

The Chelsea boss also emphasised the need for flexibility as injuries continue to affect his squad.

“All the clubs during the season, they have moments where they have injuries, so they need to adapt, they need to be flexible and try to find a solution.”

Chelsea, currently fourth in the league, will be looking to close the six-point gap to second-placed Arsenal with a crucial win at the Emirates.