Arsenal beat Chelsea to reach League Cup final

Nobody connected with Arsenal will mention the Q-word in public, but if they are to win the first of four possible trophies then they need to get past a strengthened Chelsea side in this League Cup semi-final.

The league leaders kick-off at the Emirates with a 3-2 advantage. Any victory in an away first leg has to be considered a good night’s work, but Arsenal came away frustrated they did not prevail by a bigger margin.

Chelsea were without Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge, and all three are fit again and expected to start tonight. James, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro all started as substitutes against West Ham, a selection Leroy Rosenior said owed much to Champions League exertions. He may also have had an eye on tonight’s game, with the domestic cups offering Chelsea their best chance of a major trophy this season.

Rosenior’s rotated side were abysmal for 45 minutes against West Ham, before his half-time changes helped them course correct and stage a memorable London derby comeback.

High-scoring, slightly chaotic, games have been a theme of Rosenior’s short tenure, and Chelsea probably need to lean into that side of their nature tonight, rather than allowing Arsenal to control a low-event contest.

Playing James in midfield with Enzo Fernández more advanced has been a successful formula for Chelsea in big games, but with a one-goal deficit to retrieve we could see James at right-back with Palmer in the No 10 position in front of Fernandez and Caicedo.

Arsenal are without Bukayo Saka because of a hip problem that will keep him out for about a fortnight, which will surely mean Noni Madueke facing his former club on the right flank.

Mikel Arteta has options aplenty at full-back and across the forward line, but it will be interesting to see how much he is willing to gamble with the spine of his team. David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have been fundamental to Arsenal’s Premier League consistency and keeping them fit is imperative. Arsenal’s weekend league match at home to Sunderland could also be very significant, because Man City go to Anfield a day later.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, another former Chelsea player, started the first leg in goal and did not cover himself in glory. Arteta may have promised him starts in this competition, but the knowledge that a clean sheet sends Arsenal to Wembley may make him think again.

Full team news on the way shortly.