Kai Havertz is set to return to Stamford Bridge once again as Arsenal face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Liam Rosenior will need to do something that Enzo Maresca never managed against Arsenal during his reign at Chelsea, and that is to beat them.
But the task will be made harder if he has to tackle the challenge without Cole Palmer and Reece James, who are both uncertainties.
What does Liam Rosenior need to do to overturn Enzo Maresca’s Arsenal curse?👀
The Gunners are nine games unbeaten 😬
Enzo Maresca's record vs Arsenal
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Arsenal have some issues of their own. Mikel Arteta is concerned that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard could miss the clash.
This follows on from the confirmed absences of both Riccardo Califiori and Piero Hincapie.
However, one man who will be in the squad is former Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz.
Kai Havertz wants silverware after making his Arsenal return
Kai Havertz returned for Arsenal against Portsmouth in the FA Cup at the weekend after a five-month injury lay-off, and is now set to face his former club, Chelsea.
The German famously scored the winning goal to secure Chelsea the Champions League trophy back in 2021, and then ended up joining Arsenal a couple of years later for £65m.
CHELSEA FANS: Settle the debate once and for all 🤜🤛
Kai Havertz is a Chelsea legend
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He’s been looking forward to challenging for silverware after making his return. And whilst he doesn’t speak directly about Chelsea, he’s vowed to make sure Arsenal lift more trophies this season.
The Arsenal website shared his interview, stating the German striker is aiming to make his own impact on our side’s fortunes again, having been waiting for a chance to help with our trophy push on all four fronts.
“It’s a special feeling, it’s amazing for myself. I’m just happy to be back with the boys and I hope I can help them as much as possible now.
“I think the way the boys have played the last couple of months, it was so nice even to watch from the outside, even though it’s always very hard to be in a situation like this. But just to watch them was amazing and I’m very happy to be with them now.”
Mikel Arteta issues Kai Havertz update ahead of Chelsea
Chelsea fans look set to see Havertz in action, though it remains to be seen as to how many minutes he will be given after Mikel Arteta’s update.
“Obviously, we missed him a lot. A year is a long time in football but as you said, the way he’s come back, he looks really fit, really confident. He’s such an intelligent player that straight away he is someone who connects with the players really naturally, and you can tell how much they love him as well, because every time he was in and around the box, everyone was jumping on their seats on the bench. So yeah, we are so happy to have him, he’s going to help us so much, and now we have to keep him fit.”
He responded this when asked if the German would start.
“We have to manage his minutes now, but he had a good block of 20-25 minutes the other day. He trained really well again today, it’s now a case of building his robustness and make sure that he’s available for every game.”
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