Liam Rosenior takes charge of his first match at Stamford Bridge but will be without several key players for the visit of the Premier League leaders
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Chelsea are without Reece James, Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
Chelsea are without Reece James, Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg (REUTERS)
Liam Rosenior will look to waste no time in taking Chelsea to Wembley as his new side prepares for the visit of Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Rosenior got off to a perfect start in his first match in the Blues dugout as his side beat Charlton 5-1 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night, and is now tasked with his maiden outing in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
But in Mikel Arteta’s table-topping Gunners, the former Strasbourg and Hull manager faces an almighty task, with Arsenal unbeaten since losing to Aston Villa at the start of December.
Chelsea sealed their place in the last four by surviving a scare at League One side Cardiff, while Arsenal scraped past Crystal Palace on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Follow all the action from Chelsea v Arsenal in our live blog below
Chelsea v Arsenal live
Chelsea host Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final | Live on Sky Sports
Liam Rosenior takes charge of his first home game as Blues boss
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Acheampong, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Enzo, Santos, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto Guiu
Arsenal XI: Kepa; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard
Chelsea without Palmer, James, Caicedo; Arsenal boosted by Saliba return
Chelsea and Arsenal fans agree on one thing
“Who hates Tottenham... Chelsea” sing the home fans.
Arsenal fans, feel free to join in...
Kieran Jackson at Stamford Bridge14 January 2026 19:56
Chelsea vs Arsenal
Liam Rosenior says Chelsea have “been through the wars” in the past couple of days due to injury and illness, with Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens ruled out this afternoon and Reece James now dealing with a hip problem. Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer are also unavailable. They are up against it.
The players are in the tunnel as we approach kick-off.
Jamie Braidwood14 January 2026 19:56
Chelsea vs Arsenal
Just under 10 minutes until kick-off here at the Bridge - and the atmosphere is slowly building on a cool evening in west London. Cue the lightshow.
Thankfully, it’s not the freezing sub-zero weather we’ve seen since 2026 started!
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson at Stamford Bridge14 January 2026 19:53
Last time out
Mikel Merino’s second-half equaliser rescued a point for Arsenal here in the Premier League in November, even though they played the majority of the contest a man up after Moises Caicedo’s sending off.
Caicedo is also suspended for tonight’s clash.
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:50
Reece James not in the squad
James is present at Stamford Bridge, but is not fit enough to start.
He’ll be watching alongside Cole Palmer, also absent for Liam Rosenior.
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:45
Kepa in goal for the Gunners
Arsenal’s back-up option retains his spot in-between the sticks.
Arrizabalaga was the hero in the quarter-finals as the Gunners scraped through on penalties against Crystal Palace.
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:40
Arsenal's wretched semi-final run:
Since the FA Cup victory in 2020, Mikel Arteta has lost six and drawn two of all semi-final matches he’s played:
2021, Europa League — Villarreal, 1-2 (a) first leg, 0-0 (h) second leg
2022, Carabao Cup — Liverpool, 0-0 (a), 0-2 (h)
2025, Carabao Cup — Newcastle, 0-2 (h), 0-2 (a)
Champions League — PSG, 0-1 (h), 1-2 (a)
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:35
Last time Chelsea won the League Cup?
2014-15. Mourinho, chapter two.
A 2-0 win against Tottenham in the final clinched the first trophy in Mourinho’s second tenure in west London.
They went on to win the Premier League that season.
Jose Mourinho and John Terry with the League Cup trophy in 2015
Jose Mourinho and John Terry with the League Cup trophy in 2015 (Getty)
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:27
Rosenior arrives for his Bridge bow
A big night for Chelsea’s new manager - his first match at Stamford Bridge.
Not often new managers have semi-finals for their first home match...
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson14 January 2026 19:22
Arsenal haven't won the League Cup in 33 years
The domestic trophy that Arsene Wenger famously never won still eludes the Gunners.
Their last League Cup triumph was against Sheffield Wednesday back in 1993.
( Getty Images )
Kieran Jackson at Stamford Bridge14 January 2026 19:17
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