Arsenal have already signed Caicedo for a transfer fee of £45 million less than Rice’s.

This week couldn’t have gone much better for Arsenal, but can they claim another victory?

So far, the Gunners have maintained their perfect record in Europe with a 4-1 win over Tottenham in the North London derby, with Eberechi Eze scoring a hat-trick against the team he opted out of in the summer, and then a 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

But the big games continue, with Sunday’s blockbuster clash against a team who enter the weekend as the closest challengers to Premier League Chelsea. They are now unbeaten on six visits to Stamford Bridge, having lost eight of their previous 10 visits.

As always, the battle in midfield will be the key factor in determining victory or defeat in this London derby, but will the unremarkable members of Mikel Arteta’s midfield unit really be the key players?

Declan Rice vs. Moises Caicedo fight on the bridge

Much of the pre-match discussion heading into Sunday’s game revolves around both teams’ respective midfields.

Declan Rice himself, speaking on CBS on Wednesday, was asked about the fight by Jamie Carragher and said he had great respect for Caicedo, saying Caicedo was an “outstanding” player last season and had started this campaign “incredibly well”.

The partnership between Enzo Fernandes and Moises Caicedo is certainly a strength in Chelsea’s team, with The Athletic’s Michael Cox describing the latter as a “true all-rounder” who is not only good at winning the ball, but also “is able to jump into attacks and pass forward aggressively”.

But Arsenal’s midfield hasn’t been too bad either, starting 14 of the 16 Premier League and Champions League games so far, with Rice leading the charge against Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos after being rested, scoring two goals and providing six assists.

In the aforementioned CBS interview, Rice asserted that he is currently playing perhaps the best football of his career and will need to continue to do so if Arsenal are to end their wait for a first Premier League title since 2004.

But of course he can’t do all this alone and the England international may have found the perfect partner.

Arsenal’s reaction to Moises Caicedo

Following the summer departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey, Arsenal needed to replace the former’s exceptional passing and the latter’s tenacity and forward drive, and it appears they have found one player who can do all of that and more.

While many Players League summer signings have yet to adapt to their new surroundings, Martin Zvimendi has seamlessly integrated into the Arsenal team almost from day one, as if he had been at Arsenal for years.

The Spaniard has been an almost constant feature in the Premier League this season and has been widely praised for his performances.

“It was very easy to play with him,” midfield partner Rice asserted on Wednesday, adding, “From the first moment… I just knew we were going to play good football with him.”

Zvimendi’s most eye-catching performance to date came in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in September, when he scored twice and his rocket that broke the deadlock was named Premier League Goal of the Month.

So, with Zvimendi instantly establishing himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, even early in his career at Arsenal, the £60 million paid to Real Sociedad to secure his contract (£45 million less than what was paid to Rice) looks to be an absolute bargain.

According to FBref, that status is only strengthened by his resemblance to Caicedo, with the Spaniard considered the midfielder most similar to the Ecuadorian in the top flight this season, both statistically and stylistically.

As noted in the table, Zvimendi and Caicedo’s stats are pretty similar overall.

The Ecuadorian international leads in out-of-possession metrics such as duels, interceptions and ball recoveries, but the Spaniard is not far behind, leading in most in-possession stats such as chances created, forward passes and touches per 90.

Zvimendi’s £60m cost looks like great business for Andrea Berta, given that the other members of Sunday’s midfield battle – Rice, Fernandes and Caicedo – cost in excess of £100m.

Zvimendi will continue to be a key figure if the Gunners are to achieve victory at Stamford Bridge and ultimately claim silver in May.