Arsenal are gearing up to face London rivals Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
The first leg will be played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, giving Arsenal a home advantage in the decisive second leg.
Mikel Arteta won’t want to split the two games by importance, as the Gunners need to go to the home of their rivals and seek redemption.
Liam Rosenior is expecting a tough test against Arsenal, the Premier League leaders, with both clubs desperate to book their place in the Carabao Cup final.
If Arsenal could only win one of the two – the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup – this season, which one are you picking and why?
Mikel Arteta has a fifth attempt to break his semi-final curse at Arsenal
Though Rosenior has only just arrived at Chelsea, it’s the Blues boss who might well have a slim advantage over Arteta.
That’s because the Arsenal manager has a terrible record in semi-finals that are played over two legs.
Wednesday night’s clash against Chelsea will represent the fifth time Arteta has battled a two-legged semi-final at Arsenal, and so far, he’s lost them all.
Tell us how Mikel Arteta breaks his semi-final curse, what is the issue?
In the four semi-finals Arteta has faced at Arsenal, the Gunners have lost by an aggregate scoreline of 11-2.
Though the boss won’t be able to break his curse on Wednesday night, as the second leg will conclude the tie, he will be able to do something for the first time.
In the four semi-finals Arteta has faced, Arsenal have failed to score in each of the first-leg matches.
If Arsenal score against Chelsea, that’ll be one part of the curse broken, with a fifth attempt at victory possible on the return leg at the Emirates.
When Arsenal last faced Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final
Arteta’s record might be sinister, but the boss has some relief in that Arsenal have rehearsed beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The two clubs drew each other in the 2017/18 edition of the competition, where the first leg was played at Stamford Bridge and the second at the Emirates.
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Arsenal drew 0-0 at the Bridge before winning 2-1 in front of a home crowd to progress to the final, which was abysmally lost 3-0 against Manchester City.
The Gunners are a different level now, so a different outcome will be longed for, particularly with Arteta’s record in mind.
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