CC: Chelsea v Arsenal

Opposition supporters categorically not welcome.

Only Four Remain

It’s midweek action again for Arsenal, who head to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. The last meeting in the league ended with Chelsea down to ten men but celebrating a draw as though they had won the league. Since then, they have changed managers and find themselves 18 points behind Arsenal, who sit at the top of the table. Football, eh?

New manager Liam Rosenior will take charge of Chelsea for just the second time, after his side beat Charlton in the FA Cup over the weekend. He’ll face Arsenal without his midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo, who is suspended. That being said, he’ll be able to bring back Cole Palmer and Reece James to the side after both were rested at the weekend. Hard to say anything about Chelsea at this point. They like to kick you, as we saw in the league, and their discipline will be something to watch if they hope to navigate their way to Wembley.

Arsenal made ten changes in the FA Cup, and will likely make ten more as Arteta eyes silverware. You can expect Arsenal to be at or close to full strength. Gabriel Martinelli was a hattrick hero against Portsmouth and will be keen to keep his place. But with a very congested fixture list, it’s likely he’ll start from the bench with an eye on Forest. Bukayo Saka, new contract in hand, will be hoping to make an impression in this one, and he will need to be at his best to continue this cup run.

Can Mikel Arteta’s side get over the semi-final hump in this competition? Or will Rosenior’s Chelsea make the most of their homefield advantage in the first leg? We’ll be at Dillon’s on Wednesday afternoon to see it all unfold, and we hope you’ll join us!

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