Former England striker Peter Crouch has backed Chelsea to pull off a major shock against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this weekend, forecasting an entertaining high-scoring contest. In spite of the Gunners' perfect start to the defence of their Premier League crown, Crouch feels the revived Blues have enough attacking quality to trouble and break down the reigning champions.

Crouch predicts an upset at the Emirates

Arsenal have made a flawless start to the new Premier League season, brushing aside Coventry City 3-0 in their opening match with the help of goals. Mikel Arteta's side then underlined their resilience on Monday night by claiming a 1-0 away win over Aston Villa, keeping themselves at the top of the table. Even so, Crouch believes that run may come to an abrupt end when Xabi Alonso brings his Chelsea team to north London on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, the former Liverpool and Tottenham attacker shared his excitement about the upcoming derby and said: "Great game! Two teams looking good as well. I'm going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and I'm going to go for a 3-2 Chelsea win. I think they've announced themselves as title contenders."

It is a striking prediction given that Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with the Blues and go into the weekend as clear favourites with the bookmakers.

Blues attack firing on all cylinders

Chelsea head into the match with a perfect record as well, having collected six points from their first two games. Under Alonso, the Blues' attack has looked ruthless, with Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers emerging as one of the most dangerous forward combinations in the division.

Crouch admitted he has been especially impressed by the impact of Brazilian forward Pedro since his move to Stamford Bridge, pointing to the player's visible enjoyment and energy on the pitch.

Speaking about the individual quality in Chelsea's squad, Crouch said: "Pedro, for me, I love watching him play football. He's a player that enjoys his football and he just looks like he enjoys his football. I've been thinking this since the first game against Fulham, I think he'll get goals this season. I just think he'll score goals. Neto looks sharp, creative. They've got some creative players in that team."

Defensive weaknesses still a concern

Although the attack has been outstanding, Chelsea's defensive reliability remains a major subject of debate. The Blues have let in five goals across their opening two matches against Fulham and Brighton, underlining a vulnerability that Arteta will surely try to target.

Crouch accepted that even with the signing of a new world-class goalkeeper, Chelsea are unlikely to keep a clean sheet against the attacking threat of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. Expanding on the defensive issue, Crouch said: "The only problem here [for Chelsea] is defensively, I think Chelsea will concede. I think Chelsea will concede goals, Brighton scored three against them. I think they'll concede goals but I think there will be goals, it will be interesting to see."

The Martinez factor

Crouch was full of praise for Chelsea's recruitment team for securing a player of Emiliano Martinez's calibre for what he viewed as a relatively modest fee, describing the move as one of the smartest deals of the current transfer window.

Crouch was glowing in his verdict on Chelsea's new number one, saying: "I love the Emiliano Martinez signing, I think it's a brilliant signing. How you get a World Cup-winning, dominant leader for £7m in this climate… I think that's unreal, that's a great signing."