Arsenal vs Chelsea – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Gunners hold a 3-2 first-leg lead. The Blues are winless in nine matches vs the Gunners with six defeats.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal sit six points clear of Man City in the league table. Their last 30 matches have seen 24 victories. They won 3-2 at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. A frustrating 0-0 stalemate away at Nottingham Forest came next in the Premier League.

They won 3-1 away to Inter Milan with several second-string players starting. A 3-2 home loss to reinvigorated Man Utd was a blow to their title chances. They since beaten Kairat Almaty 3-2 in the Champions League and won 4-0 at Leeds on Saturday. Arsenal allowed just three shots and 0.15 xG in that win.          

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Merino is unavailable for the next 12 weeks due to injury. Max Dowman is ruled out. Bukayo Saka was injured in the warm-up before the win over Leeds and will need a late fitness test.

Riccardo Calafiori is fit again and may start at right back. Noni Madueke is likely to replace Saka, whilst Martin Odegaard is set for a recall in place of Kai Havertz.

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners will be highly motivated to reach the League Cup final. Mikel Arteta needs a piece of silverware this season.

Arsenal will look to play relatively conservatively and try to ensure they don’t concede the first goal. If leading, they could drop into a low block to protect their aggregate advantage.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea have won six of their seven matches under new coach Liam Rosenior. Enzo Maresca was sacked after a run of just two wins in nine matches. Rosenior oversaw a 5-1 win at Charlton before losing 3-2 at home to Arsenal. A 2-0 home win followed over Brentford.

A poor display against Pafos saw just a narrow 1-0 home win in the Champions League. Three more wins have followed. Chelsea won 3-1 at Crystal Palace and 3-2 at Napoli in the Champions League having trailed 2-1. On Saturday, they came from 2-0 down at home to beat West Ham 3-2 in a rousing comeback.

Chelsea Team News

Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo are injured in defence. Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella are set for recalls at the back.

Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia will play no part in the engine. Cole Palmer may not start again, having played 90 minutes vs West Ham. Estevao Willian should replace to the squad, but Jamie Gittens is set to miss out.

Chelsea Motivation

The Blues are playing with spirit, and they want to try to overcome this deficit. They also need to end a nine-match winless streak vs Arsenal.

Liam Rosenior’s side will play on the front foot and take risks. They need to try to score first in this second leg.

Key Stats

• Arsenal have won 24 of their last 30 matches
• Arsenal have conceded in 9 of their last 12 matches
• Chelsea are winless in 9 matches vs Arsenal (6 losses)
• Chelsea’s Joao Pedro has scored 5 goals in his last 5 matches

Verdict

This match should have goals. Chelsea are expected to put up a good fight, but ultimately Arsenal are set to reach the Carabao Cup final.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.70

Value Bet: Arsenal win and both teams to score at 3.20

Goalscorer Tip: Joao Pedro to score anytime at 4.50