Chelsea and Arsenal meet in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final showdown at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Liam Rosenior had a relatively comfortable start to life as the Blues boss against Charlton in the FA Cup but this evening will give us a chance to see what he is really made of.
Chelsea more than held their own in this fixture in the Premier League in November on a night where Moises Caicedo was sent off. The midfielder is serving another suspension tonight.
Arsenal are still battling on all four fronts and a successful trip to Wembley in March could prove to be the catalyst for even greater success this season.
Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage.
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January 14, 2026 7:56 pm
‘They have to be good at set-pieces’
Phil Haigh
Jamie Redknapp warns Liam Rosenior that his Chelsea side will need to be absolutely on it from set-plays, where Arsenal are extremely dangerous.
January 14, 2026 7:53 pm
Can Rosenior make an early impact?
Phil Haigh
On how much we can expect to see Rosenior’s footballing philosophy already, he told Sky Sports: ‘Hopefully a lot!
‘I’ve been lucky enough to be with the lads for six days now and I’ve been very strong on what we expect from the group.’
January 14, 2026 7:49 pm
Who is missing for Arsenal?
Phil Haigh
Mikel Arteta’s squad is in pretty good shape, but he is missing three defenders as Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are all out injured.
Teenager Max Dowman is also sidelined until next month.
January 14, 2026 7:45 pm
Why Delap and Gittens miss out
Phil Haigh
Chelsea FC v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5
Liam Delap is unwell (Picture: Getty Images)
Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are both out of the Chelsea squad due to illness.
Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto have minor injuries.
January 14, 2026 7:40 pm
Arteta on facing Rosenior’s Chelsea for the first time
Phil Haigh
The Arsenal boss told Sky Sports: ‘Every manager will try to bring his fingerprints. The players remain the same, that’s the nature of the game. They will have certain habits and things and qualities that they want to exploit on that pitch. And we know that they are a strong team.’
January 14, 2026 7:32 pm
Hasselbaink gives Arsenal advice over Gyokeres
Phil Haigh
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink tells Sky Sports: ‘It’s not easy coming from the continent into the Premier League. The best that come into the Premier League, the Bergkamps, even [Thierry] Henry needed a little bit of time.
‘I just think that it’s a little bit different playing for him with Arsenal. At Sporting everything was going through him. At Arsenal they can help him a little bit better by saying, just say central, play more with your nose towards the goal rather than your back to goal.’
Everton v Arsenal - Premier League
Viktor Gyokeres is struggling for form for Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)
January 14, 2026 7:29 pm
Saka relishing Cucurella challenge
Phil Haigh
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka on coming up against Marc Cucurella again tonight, tells Sky Sports: ‘He’s a player I’ve played against many times now for club and for country, we’ve had many great battles. I’m looking forward to another battle tonight.’
January 14, 2026 7:24 pm
When is the second leg?
Phil Haigh
The two teams will do this all again at the Emirates on Tuesday February 3.
January 14, 2026 7:18 pm
Phil Haigh
"They want to keep the momentum… the players on the bench are magnificent as well"Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Jamie Redknapp discuss Arsenal's near full-strength lineup to take on Chelsea tonight 💪 pic.twitter.com/xc5ho5NYrE
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 14, 2026
January 14, 2026 7:15 pm
Why are Chelsea wearing black armbands?
Phil Haigh
Chelsea will be wearing black armbands and there will be a minute’s applause after the death of former player and manager Eddie McCreadie yesterday.
A Blues star in the 1960s and 70s, he won the FA Cup with the club in 1970.
January 14, 2026 7:08 pm
Phil Haigh
January 14, 2026 7:04 pm
No Delap or Gittens in the Chelsea squad
Phil Haigh
Two players missing from Chelsea’s squad tonight are Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens.
Rosenior will be talking through his team selection shortly.
January 14, 2026 6:55 pm
Hat-trick hero Martinelli on the bench
Phil Haigh
Gabriel Martinelli may feel unlucky to be on the bench after scoring an FA Cup hat-trick against Portsmouth at the weekend.
Portsmouth v Arsenal - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Gabriel Martinelli scored three on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images)
It is a very strong side from Mikel Arteta, although first choice goalkeeper David Raya is on the bench, with Kepa Arrizabalaga starting.
January 14, 2026 6:52 pm
No risks from Rosenior
Phil Haigh
The Chelsea trio of Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto have been left out again after being rested at the weekend.
Marc Guiu retains his place up front after Liam Rosenior said his performance was ‘magnificent’ against Charlton.
Robert Sanchez returns in goal.
January 14, 2026 6:48 pm
Team news is in!
Phil Haigh
Chelsea: Sanchez, Acheampong, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Enzo, Andrey Santos, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto, Guiu
Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Tosin, Hato, Essugo, Buonanotte, Garnacho, George, Mheuka
Arsenal: Kepa, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres
Subs: Raya, Jesus, Eze, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Merino, Havertz, Lewis-Skelly
January 14, 2026 6:45 pm
Rosenior on Chelsea fitness issues
Phil Haigh
The new boss left Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto out of the win at Charlton on Saturday.
He said at a press conference on Monday: ‘I’ll make a decision on Cole, Reece and Malo tomorrow; I’m giving them some extra time. I appreciate that doing the press conference two days before is not ideal – sorry about that – but I’ve got time to make a decision.’
Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League
Cole Palmer was rested at the weekend (Picture: Getty Images)
January 14, 2026 6:42 pm
No Caicedo for Chelsea tonight
Phil Haigh
January 14, 2026 6:39 pm
Rosenior’s Stamford Bridge debut
Phil Haigh
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Liam Rosenior faces a big test early in his Chelsea career (Picture: Getty Images)
The new Chelsea manager, Liam Rosenior, takes charge at Stamford Bridge for the first time tonight.
His only other game since being appointed Blues boss was a 5-1 win at Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Arsenal will provide more of a test than the Championship team.
January 14, 2026 6:36 pm
What happened between Newcastle and Man City?
Phil Haigh
Newcastle United v Manchester City - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg
Antoine Semenyo is enjoying a great start at Manchester City (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester City appeared to put one foot in the Carabao Cup final as they beat Newcastle United 2-0 at St James’ Park.
New signing Antoine Semenyo scored on 53 minutes and Rayan Cherki netted in injury time, which could be a huge goal in the tie.
The second leg is on Wednesday February 4 at the Etihad.
January 14, 2026 6:31 pm
Chelsea vs Arsenal TV channel and live stream
Phil Haigh
Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football will be showing the game live.
Streaming for Sky subscribers is available on Sky Go. Non-subscribers can stream through a Now TV package.
MORE: Why Moises Caicedo is not playing for Chelsea against Arsenal tonight
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