🕟 Kick Off: 20:00

🏟️ Venue: Stamford Bridge

📺 UK Broadcaster: Sky Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Simon Hooper

📹 VAR: Jarred Gillett

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• William Saliba: Undisclosed fitness issue; missed the FA Cup win over Portsmouth. Mikel Arteta has confirmed he is a major doubt for tomorrow’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
• Leandro Trossard: Undisclosed fitness issue; like Saliba, he missed the trip to Fratton Park and was not spotted in the latest training images. He is considered a doubt for the Chelsea clash.
• Piero Hincapié: Minor groin injury; sustained against Liverpool on Jan 8. While initially feared to be a hamstring tear, it is less severe, but Arteta confirmed he is not available for the Chelsea match tomorrow.
• Riccardo Calafiori: Muscular injury; has now missed five consecutive matches. Arteta stated today that he remains out and his recovery will be “a matter of a few weeks probably,” targeting a return in late January 2026.
• Cristhian Mosquera: Ankle injury; progressing well but has not yet returned to full team training. Ruled out for Chelsea; expected back in late January 2026.
• Max Dowman: Ankle ligament damage; still a few weeks away from a return to training. Expected to be sidelined until early February 2026.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟧🟩🟩🟩

🔵 Chelsea Team News:

• Cole Palmer: Groin/Minor knock; sat out the FA Cup win over Charlton as a “precaution.” Manager Liam Rosenior will make a late fitness decision on his availability for the Arsenal match tomorrow.
• Reece James: Minor knock; being managed carefully after a run of games. Like Palmer, he is a major doubt and will undergo a fitness test on Wednesday morning.
• Malo Gusto: Muscle tweak; missed the weekend fixture to avoid risk. He is currently being assessed but has a better chance of featuring than James or Palmer.
• Moises Caicedo: Unavailable; serving a one-match suspension in the Carabao Cup after accumulating two yellow cards in previous rounds.
• Romeo Lavia: Thigh injury; has been sidelined since November. He is nearing a return to grass but remains unavailable for this semi-final first leg.
• Levi Colwill: Knee (ACL) injury; continuing long-term rehabilitation following surgery in August. He is expected to be out until June 2026.

⚽ Chelsea Form: 🟩🟥🟧🟧🟥

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (November 30, 2025, Premier League)
• Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (March 16, 2025, Premier League)
• Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (November 10, 2024, Premier League)
• Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea (April 23, 2024, Premier League)
• Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal (October 21, 2023, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• This is Liam Rosenior’s first match at Stamford Bridge since being appointed Chelsea manager. He set a club record in his first game in charge, a 5-1 win over Charlton, the biggest ever debut win for a Chelsea boss.
• Arsenal and Chelsea have met twice before in the Semi Final of the EFL Cup, with each team progressing once out of the two fixtures.
• Chelsea have reached the final of the EFL Cup in 10 out of the last 16 times they have appeared in the Semi Final.