Liam Rosenior will aim to make a major statement as his Chelsea side take on Premier League leaders Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Meanwhile, Arsenal will focus on securing a positive result to carry back home for the second leg. They look to remain firmly in contention for all four trophies this season.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event, with coverage starting at 7pm. Kick off is at 8pm (GMT).
Liam Rosenior began his Chelsea tenure in perfect fashion on Saturday, guiding the Blues to an emphatic 5-1 win over Championship side Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.
Although Chelsea entered the tie as clear favourites, they still delivered a composed and ruthless display. As a result, they comfortably secured their place in the fourth round.
In fact, their previous two victories have come against teams in the EFL. They have not won a Premier League match since the 13th December, against Everton.
Moreover, the victory at Charlton ended Chelsea’s run of five games without a win in the latter stages of Enzo Maresca’s tenure. It has been a crazy couple of weeks for the blues. Now Rosenior is looking to add some stability and positive results.
Like Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory at Portsmouth.
However, the form of Arsenal is amongst the best in Europe. They are unbeaten in all competitions since the defeat against Aston Villa in early December. Additionally, this includes eight wins in the previous nine and one draw.
Arsenal have been flying high this season. They currently sit top of the Premier League and the Champions League.
All four trophies are still on offer for Arteta’s side this season. They would love to end their six-year trophy drought.
Chelsea will be without several key players, as Moises Caicedo serves a suspension after picking up a yellow card in their previous FA Cup round against Cardiff. In addition, Malo Gusto, Reece James, and Cole Palmer are doubts, having missed Saturday’s FA Cup clash. Manager Liam Rosenior is set to make a late decision on their availability.
Similarly, Arsenal face defensive challenges, with Piero Hincapie, Ricardo Califiori, and Cristhian Mosquera all sidelined as they continue their recovery from injury. Consequently, both sides will have to adapt their lineups ahead of tonight’s tie.
Piero Hincapié faces possible abscence due to Injury however Arteta confirmed that both William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are both doubts for tonight. They missed the match against Portsmouth on Sunday.
The Chelsea boss says he is ‘confident’ in his Chelsea side ahead of tonight’s clash.
“We need to have a really, really good game on Wednesday. But I am confident in the group that they have shown, not just in the time before me, but in the last few days, they are really hungry.”
The Englishman added, “They really believe in themselves, and it’s going to be a really good occasion.”
Mikel Arteta has said his side are ready for tonight’s semi-final, “The boys are really motivated and at it, because we can sense that’s where we want to be and we have to make another step in order to achieve what we want and that’s the objective.”
Moreover, Arteta also spoke about how the Carabao Cup can enhance confidence in other competitions, “You get to this stage of the competition, you get to the final and win it, it brings energy.” He added, “It brings belief and the sense that everybody is very important in playing a part of that.”
“Everybody remembers if you get there and win it, and if not, nobody does.”
The Spaniard says his side has a chance to learn from last year's semi-final defeat to Newcastle, “Hopefully we can learn from last year because it was painful, especially in the manner that the games went and the chances that we missed.”
“We’ve been really consistent in the competition, and now we have to know another big team out of the competition and be in the final that’s the mission.”
