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“Arsenal arguably the best team in the world right now??!!” sniffs Justin Kavanagh. “That’s not very respectful to Macclesfield.”
Team news
It looks like Liam Rosenior, who played 3-2-4-1 at Charlton on Saturday, has switched to a back four for tonight’s game. Chelsea are without the suspended Moises Caicedo and the injured trio of Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto. With Liam Delap also unavailable, Marc Guiu starts up front.
William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are fit to start in a very strong Arsenal team. Never mind the starting XI, even the bench is frightening.
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Acheampong, Fofana, Cucurella; Andrey Santos, Fernandez; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto; Guiu.
Subs: Jorgensen, Tosin, Badiashile, Essugo, Hato, George, Buonanotte, Garnacho, Mheuka.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Arrizabalaga; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Subs: Gabriel Jesus, Raya, Eze, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Lewis-Skelly.
Referee Simon Hooper.
Jacob Steinberg
Liam Rosenior will hold talks with Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi before deciding whether the pair have a future at Chelsea.
The head coach, who wants to assess his new squad before concluding whether signings are required this month, has been focusing on preparations for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home against Arsenal and has not had a chance to look at whether Sterling and Disasi should be brought back in from the cold.
The duo have not played this season and been up for sale since last summer but buyers have been in short supply. Disasi, the former Monaco centre-back, has been in limbo and the issue with Sterling is that the former England winger has 18 months on a contract worth about £325,000 a week. Chelsea’s preference would be to move players on this month but Rosenior wants to speak to them to work out the best way forward.
“Tonight is more of a dilemma than a narrative for me,” writes Onno Giller. “I can either sit through the stress, as a lifelong Arsenal fan, of what promises to be another cagey boxing match between Arsenal and Chelsea… or follow my obsession with African football having spent a considerable time on the sub Saharan part of the continent and watch the Afcon match between Nigeria and Morocco, with considerably less stress. Might just have to toss a coin.”
Why not follow both games? At the Guardian we believe in polybloggery.
Ed Aarons
Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that Arsenal must overcome their injury problems in defence if they are to maintain their challenge in four competitions. Arteta spoke after revealing that William Saliba is a doubt for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Saliba and Leandro Trossard did not feature in the FA Cup victory against Portsmouth on Sunday. It was widely thought both had been rested. However, Arteta confirmed on Tuesday that the France defender could miss the game at Stamford Bridge because of an unspecified injury, while Trossard is also a doubt.
Piero Hincapié and Riccardo Calafiori both remain out with groin and muscular injuries respectively, while Cristhian Mosquera continues to make progress on an ankle injury and is not expected to return until next month.
“I look forward,” writes Charles Antaki, “to seeing what you make of Chelsea 1 (Palmer), Arsenal 1 (Jover).”
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea v Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. In the spirit of open journalism and definitely not a device designed to disguise the laziest preamble of the 2025-26 season, we’d like to invite you to Choose Your Own Narrative™.
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Liam Rosenior’s first home game as Chelsea head coach.
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Liam Rosenior’s first proper/elite/really tough game as Chelsea head coach.
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The world champions v (arguably) the best team in the world right now.
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The latest instalment of a match that has become London’s biggest derby in the 21st century, during which time Chelsea and Arsenal have met in a Champions League quarter-final, a Europa League final, three FA Cup finals, a League Cup final and umpteen title race-impacting games.
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Arsenal’s chance to reach their first final since 2020, when a team including David Luiz, Nicolas Pepe and Emi Martinez beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup.
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Chelsea’s chance to beat Arsenal at home for the first since 2018, when a team including David Luiz, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ross Barkley won 3-2 in the Premier League.
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The ballad of 3-2-4-1 v 4-3-3.
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The latest obstacle to Arsenal doing the quadruple.
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A chance to resume hostilities after a spiteful Premier League game at the end of November.
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A fight to the death – or at least the final whistle, or maybe an early red card – between Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice to decide who is the best central midfielder in the world although let’s be honest we haven’t actually watched every midfielder in the world so really we mean English football and we’re just assuming there’s nobody better in another league becausewe got the money. -
A temporary distraction from planet earth in 2026.
The second leg is at the Emirates on 3 February, with the winners facing either Newcastle or, more likely, Manchester City in the final. Plenty of narratives to choose from there too.
Kick off 8pm.
Edit: yes I have just realised Moises Caicedo is suspended tonight.
