Chelsea Vs Arsenal Tactics , Squad News and Predictions

Chelsea faces Arsenal in the Carabao Cup Semi-final first leg today, January 14t,h with the Blues looking to win their first piece of silverware under Liam Rosenior.

Premier League leaders Arsenal are particularly keen to end their six-year wait for a piece of silverware this term, and Mikel Arteta’s side are certainly in a good position to do so.

They hold a six-point lead at the top of the league, are one of the strongest contenders in the Champions League, and have a shot at winning both domestic cups.

Arteta, in his press conference, said, “Football gives you another chance, we’ve been really consistent again in the competition, and now we have to knock another big team out of the competition to be in the final, and that’s the mission.

Hopefully, we’ll learn from last year because it was painful, especially in the manner that the games went and the amount of chances that we missed not to go through, but hopefully this year we are better and hopefully more efficient. ”

Rosenior, in his press conference, said, “We need to have a really, really good game on Wednesday.

But I’m confident in the group that they’ve shown, and not just in the time before me, but in the last few days, they’re really hungry.”

“They really believe in themselves, and it’s going to be a really, really good occasion on Wednesday night.”

Squad News

Chelsea

Moises Caicedo is suspended for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Chelsea and Arsenal

Chelsea will also be without Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, and Mykhailo Mudryk, but Marc Cucurella will return after serving his one-match ban for a red card against Fulham.

New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior told the media on Monday that he’d make late calls on whether Cole Palmer and Reece James could be involved in their League Cup match against Arsenal today.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Santos; Estevao, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro

Arsenal

Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, and Cristhian Mosquera are all out for the trip to west London as the trio of defenders aim to recover from their respective injuries.

Mikel also revealed that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are both doubts after missing our trip to Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Kepa; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Also Read: Top Players to Watch in AFCON 2025

Tactics

Chelsea

Rosenior’s in-possession tactics are perhaps the most interesting part of his strategy.

His side moves into a 3-2-2-3 shape when they have the ball, irrespective of how many natural defenders they have on the pitch.

A good reference point is the shape that his predecessor, Enzo Maresca, deployed at Chelsea.

Maresca also elected for a 3-2-2-3 shape that became a more attacking 3-1-6 at times.

Arsenal

Arsenal’s tactics under Mikel Arteta focus on fluid formations (like 4-3-3 or 3-2-4-1), dynamic midfield control, exploiting wide areas (especially the right flank with Saka), increased verticality, and strong set-piece delivery, evolving from a single pivot to more complex buildup play with new signings like Zubimendi.

Key elements include full-backs inverting to create overloads, advanced number eights making runs into the box, and proactive counter-pressing, creating a blend of territorial dominance and attacking threat.

Predictions

Chelsea haven’t beaten their London rivals since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, but fixtures at the Bridge in recent years have been fiercely competitive.

Enzo Maresca arguably outcoached his opposite number during the two 1-1 draws he oversaw before his departure, so Rosenior has big shoes to fill in that regard.

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