Liam Rosenior, Manager of Chelsea, applauds the fans after the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Charlton Athletic and Chelsea at The Valley on January 10, 2026 in London, England
Liam Rosenior takes his new Chelsea team to face Arsenal
Chelsea have gone into this evening's first-leg League Cup semi-final clash against with a large injury list.
Summer signings Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are both absent because of illness. However, Liam Rosenior is also without skipper , star man Cole Palmer and the ever-improving Malo Gusto.
Club record transfer Moises Caicedo is also suspended for the final as a result of the yellow card he picked up in the victory over City in the previous round. Meanwhile, it's also been reporter James picked up a hip injury before this evening's clash which has ruled him out, while Cole Palmer has suffered more trouble to his groin.
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It's exactly what Rosenior does not need in his first match as manager at Stamford Bridge. Explaining the absentees, Rosenior said: "It's unfortunate. Reece took a whack on his hip and he is not quite ready for this.
"Unfortunately for Cole, who is an outstanding player, he should be available for Saturday, but he did not quite make it for this one. Liam was ill three hours ago, Jamie Gittens fell down with illness and Malo hopefully (will be fit) for Brentford.
"Yeah, we've gone through the wars the last couple of days, but at the same time, I still think we are good enough to be competitive and try to win this game.
Rosenior started strongly with a 5-1 away victory over Charlton Athletic in the third-round of the . But given what's at stake and the fact Arsenal are one of the most in form teams in Europe right now, the stakes could not be stacked much higher against the ex-Hull City manager.
Liam Delap, Reece James and Cole Palmer are all absent (
Image:
2026 Vince Mignott/MB Media)
Meanwhile, Arteta had close to a full squad to choose from, including ex-Blue Kai Havertz. The German has missed the majority of the season with injury, but was fit enough for the Arsenal bench.
The forward, who scored the winning goal in the 2021 final for , swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2023 as part of a £65m deal. Havertz could win his first title this season, with the Gunners resting at the top of the table.
He is still yet to win a trophy with the north Londoners since his arrival. Rosenior will be looking to ensure Havertz and the rest of the Gunners will have to wait at least until the summer for their first opportunity by knocking them out in the League Cup semi-final.
Before the match, when asked about his idea for beating Arsenal, he said: "Arsenal are an outstanding team, but we are an outstanding team.
There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.
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