CHELSEA v Arsenal: EFL Semi-final Preview

Date: Wednesday 14th
January 2026

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Kick-off: 20:00 BST

After
one more spell underneath Blue co the place Chelsea look extra like a sequence of “The
Apprentice” than a soccer membership, ending with Eghbali’s golden boy touchdown the
large chair, wasn’t it a aid to see us really win a sport for a change?

Chelsea despatched Charlton
packing 5-1 within the FA Cup third spherical on the weekend to present Rosenior a dream
begin – or a minimum of, a begin that didn’t finish in tears and memes. He gave the
squad a correct shake-up, fairly presumably considering forward to tonight, or maybe
nonetheless understanding who’s really a footballer and who simply wandered in from the
Stamford Bridge tour group.  Nonetheless, you
can’t moan about 5 targets, even when it wasn’t altogether snug till the
subs got here on.

However
now Rosenior finds himself within the large leagues as Arsenal roll up for the EFL
Cup semi-final first-leg. The Gunners simply walloped Portsmouth 4-1 and have
racked up eight wins out of their final 9, apparently decided to show
that consistency isn’t simply one thing you discover in gravy.

Arsenal haven’t left
Stamford Bridge with something lower than a smile since 2018, and with Arteta
main his merry band of lookalikes, it’s like watching a conga line in crimson
shirts. Rosenior, alternatively, will get his first actual style of Chelsea vs.
Arsenal – and as all true Blues know, that is the place legends are made or at
least, the place memes are born.

Strap
in, it could possibly be a bumpy experience.

MANAGER’S VIEWS

Going into
right now’s sport, Liam Rosenior, says “We’ve been working tactically on Arsenal
from the second I got here into the membership. Watched all of their video games, analysed
each facet of their sport, together with set performs, at which they’re excellent. I
don’t know who’s calling them Set Piece FC. I’m undoubtedly not. They’re a crew
who’re excellent with out the ball. They’ve a extremely clear thought in the best way
they wish to play with the ball, On high of that, they’re very effectively organised
with good supply on set performs. That’s what you wish to be if you wish to be
profitable.”

Arsenal
supervisor Mikel Arteta, in the meantime, says “Soccer offers you one other likelihood. We
have been actually constant once more on this competitors and now we’ve to knock
one other large crew out to be within the remaining. That’s the mission. Hopefully we’ve
discovered from final 12 months as a result of it was painful, particularly within the method that
the video games went, and the quantity of probabilities we missed to undergo. So this 12 months
we wish to be higher and extra environment friendly. If you get to this stage within the
competitors, you get to the ultimate, and also you get it over the road and win it, it
brings a special type of vitality. It brings perception and the sense that the
goal could be very, very shut and that could be a huge motivation for
everyone.”

SQUAD NEWS

For Chelsea, Romeo Lavia (thigh) and Levi Colwill (knee) are injured. Moises Caicedo is suspended for 1-match, not like Mykhaylo Mudryk who’s serving a long-term ban. Marc Cucurella is out there once more after his suspension however Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer are usually not anticipated to be match, so Rosenior is more likely to go away them out somewhat than have the medical employees on the bench for firm.

For Arsenal, Piero Hincapie (thigh),
Riccardo Calafiori (muscle), Max Dowman (ankle), and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle)
are injured and William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are reported to be doubts. Kai
Havertz is out there.

TEAMS

CHELSEA (Potential line-up): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; James, Fernandez; Santos, Estevao, Neto; Delap

ARSENAL (Potential line-up): Kepa; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

LAST MEETING

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (thirtieth
November 2025)

CURRENT FORM (ALL)

CHELSEA: DLDDLW

ARSENAL: WWWWDW

OTHER STUFF

Chelsea have received 4 of their final 5 semi-final ties within the EFL
CupChelsea misplaced within the semi-final in opposition to Arsenal in 2017-18Chelsea have scored and conceded in seven straight video games in all
competitionsArsenal misplaced within the 2021-22 semi-final to Liverpool and in final
season’s semi-final to NewcastleArsenal have received 8 of their final 9 video games in all competitionsArsenal are unbeaten in 8 video games in opposition to Chelsea

PREDICTION

Sportsmole: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal