Lampard offers strong Aubameyang Chelsea selection hint ahead of Arsenal return

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been offered a hint by Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard over his involvement against former club Arsenal.

Chelsea travel to north London to face Mikel Arteta’s side on Tuesday night and are bidding to end a run of eight games without victory, which has also seen Lampard’s men lose all five of their matches under the 44-year-old.

Aubameyang will come up against the Gunners for the second time this season since leaving for Barcelona last January, and he will be hoping to inflict revenge in the capital after the 1-0 loss back in November at Stamford Bridge.

The Gabon international has only featured in four of Chelsea‘s last 15 league matches. His last, and only, goal in the league came all the way back in October 2022 against Crystal Palace, a month that saw him net on three occasions in all competitions.

He impressed when he came off the bench at half-time during Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford last Wednesday. Despite a couple of missed chances, Aubameyang put himself in the frame for further chances under Lampard between now and the end of the season in the final six games.

But Lampard was coy ahead of the London derby over whether or not Aubameyang would get the nod to lead the Chelsea line amid the return of Kai Havertz from a knee injury and the availability of David Datro Fofana.

“We’ll see, I’ve got Auba, Kai, David Fofana,” Lampard told reporters regarding his striking options for the encounter.

“I won’t divulge the team. He’s fit and ready. Possibly (more up for it), because we all think a player going back to their old club gives a certain motivation.

“I’ll pick that position on my feeling on how they’ve trained and what the team structure looks like.”

Arsenal haven’t won a game in their last four, losing to title rivals Manchester City last time out. However, Lampard was unable to deliver a verdict on if the Gunners clash came at the right time for his side.

“It could be either way,” he added. “Very much in the hunt still to win the Premier League. Fantastic team, who have had a great season.

“If they’re wounded they could have a big reaction, if we can make things difficult for them, it could feel different. Hard one to call.”