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Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, with a place at Wembley up for grabs across two legs.
This fixture arrives at an awkward moment for Chelsea, who are adjusting to life under new head coach Liam Rosenior after a turbulent spell that saw them slide to eighth in the Premier League.
Rosenior’s first game in charge brought a 5–1 FA Cup win over Charlton Athletic, though that result came after a five-match league run without victory that exposed familiar defensive and structural issues.
Arsenal travel across London in a very different position. Mikel Arteta’s side lead the Premier League, sit top in the Champions League, and are unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions.
That run includes a 4–1 FA Cup win at Portsmouth and a controlled 0–0 draw with Liverpool, the only side to keep Arsenal scoreless this season.
The league meeting between these sides in November finished 1–1, a game Chelsea played largely with 10 men after Moises Caicedo’s dismissal, offering some encouragement despite their broader struggles.
How to watch Chelsea v Arsenal
Chelsea vs Arsenal kicks off at 20:00 (UK) on Wednesday, January 14, at Stamford Bridge. The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea will be without Moises Caicedo, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the Carabao Cup campaign in the quarter-final win over Cardiff.
Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto were all rested for the FA Cup tie at Charlton after picking up knocks against Fulham, with Rosenior expected to assess the trio closer to kick-off before deciding on their involvement.
Marc Cucurella has served a one-match suspension following his red card at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea expected lineup
(4-2-3-1) Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; James, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Delap
Arsenal team news
Arsenal arrive in west London with a few defensive concerns, with Piero Hincapie the latest injury worry after being withdrawn against Liverpool.
Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera also remain sidelined, while Max Dowman is a longer-term absentee.
Gabriel Martinelli’s hat-trick at Portsmouth strengthens his case to start, while Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain in competition for the central role.
Arsenal expected lineup
(4-3-3) Kepa; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyökeres, Martinelli
Chelsea v Arsenal stats
– Chelsea have won just one of their last 13 matches against Arsenal in all competitions.
– Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal at Stamford Bridge since August 2018.
– Chelsea are competing in their fourth League Cup semi-final in the last seven seasons.
– Chelsea were reduced to 10 men in the 1–1 league draw between the sides in November.
– The last three meetings between these sides have all finished level.
– Arsenal are unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions.
– Arsenal have reached the League Cup semi-finals in back-to-back seasons.
Chelsea v Arsenal predictions
Chelsea have scored in 29 of their 31 matches across all competitions this season, including goals against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent weeks.
Even during their five-game league winless run before Rosenior’s arrival, they continued to create chances and find the net.
Arteta’s side have failed to score in just one match all season, a recent 0–0 draw with Liverpool.
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 6/5 stands out on that basis, particularly given the open nature of the November meeting.
The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge produced eight cards and a red, while Marc Cucurella has now been booked four times in six appearances against Arsenal since joining Chelsea.
He is likely to spend large periods defending against Bukayo Saka, the most-fouled player in Arsenal’s squad. We’ll back Cucurella to be booked at 15/8.
Simon Hooper’s appointment strengthens that case. He is averaging over four cards per Premier League match this season and has already sent off a Chelsea player.
