Chelsea predicted starting XI to face Arsenal in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.placeholder image
Chelsea predicted starting XI to face Arsenal in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. | Getty Images
Chelsea face Arsenal on Wednesday night in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
Liam Rosenior will have his first opportunity to win a trophy as Chelsea head coach in the shape of the Carabao Cup, as the Blues prepare to enter the final four of the competition.
They face a stern test in their semi-final in the shape of London rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal, who have not won a major trophy since 2020 and may see the competition as a springboard to achieving even greater honours.
Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge will provide the first major test of the Rosenior era, following last weekend’s ultimately simple 5-1 victory away at Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round.
Will Cole Palmer be passed fit to start against Arsenal?
The fitness of Palmer will provide the headline piece of team news ahead of kick-off at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea and new head coach Rosenior will be more than aware of the ability the England international has to turn a game in their favour when on his top form.
While a stop-start campaign due to injury has prevented him from reaching his peak performance so far this term, he was beginning to return to form after a sustained run in the side. Palmer will hope to be passed fit to start against Arsenal, as will Reece James and Malo Gusto. The trio will all face a late fitness test ahead of the encounter.
“We had no injury problems coming out of Charlton game, which was a really good thing,” Rosenior said on Monday. “I’ll make a decision on Cole, Reece and Malo tomorrow [Tuesday] or on Wednesday morning. They’re being managed. It was a good time for them to rest in the FA Cup game. There’s no point taking risks when you feel you can win the game [without them].”
Cucurella back while Caicedo picks up fresh suspension
The Blues made eight changes for the trip to Charlton last weekend and may make a full 11 alterations on this occasion.
Marc Cucurella is back available after serving a one-match ban for a red card picked up at Fulham in the league, while Moises Caicedo will miss out after picking up his second Carabao Cup booking of the season in the last round at Cardiff City. The Ecuadorian was one of few Blues players to keep his place in the starting XI at the Valley, likely for the reason that he would be unavailable in midweek. The 24-year-old will serve a third suspension of this season already.
Elsewhere in the side, Robert Sanchez looks set to return in goal and Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana may be chosen to start at the back. Rosenior may opt for Pedro Neto over Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens on the left wing, after the latter pair both started at Charlton before Neto came off the bench to net the fourth goal. Up front it will be a toss-up between Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, though the Englishman may get the nod.
Full predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; James, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Delap.
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