Arsenal are two matches away from booking a spot in the first cup final of the 2025/26 season.
After beating Crystal Palace on penalties in the quarter-final, Arsenal will face Chelsea over two legs with a reservation at Wembley at stake.
Mikel Arteta’s side are challenging on all four fronts, as are Chelsea, whose future form is difficult to predict.
Though Arteta has faced Chelsea 14 times as Arsenal manager, he’ll head into the unknown in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, as Liam Rosenior’s reign at Stamford Bridge has just begun.
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?
Liam Rosenior has been focused on key Arsenal strength ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final
In a shock turn of events, Enzo Maresca left his project at Chelsea very unfinished due to disagreements with the club’s hierarchy.
As a result, Rosenior took over and made a rapid start to life in London, winning his first official game in charge 5-1, beating Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.
Now, the Englishman faces a different challenge, swapping a second-tier opponent for one of the world’s best, and he understands the magnitude of the clash that awaits.
With Liam Rosenior in charge, I’m __% confident Arsenal will beat Chelsea.
“We’ve been working tactically on Arsenal from the moment I came into the club,” Rosenior admitted in his pre-match press conference.
The 41-year-old then lifted the lid on exactly what Chelsea have been studying ahead of facing the Gunners, naming one thing Arteta’s side are particularly good at…any guesses?
“We’ve watched all of their games, analysed every aspect of their game, including set-plays, which they’re very good at,” he said.
Rosenior then moved on from talking tactics and shared that he’s seen a strong attitude from his players since taking charge, with all eyes on Wednesday night’s derby at the Bridge.
Rosenior reveals how Chelsea are feeling ahead of facing Arsenal
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Chelsea when the two teams met in the Premier League earlier this season.
It was a particularly frustrating game for the Gunners, who seemed to struggle to play against Chelsea’s 10 men after Moises Caicedo was sent off.
It’s therefore no surprise that Rosenior admitted that his team have a lot of belief ahead of Wednesday’s showdown in the cup.
“I’m confident in the group that they’ve shown, and not just in the time before me, but in the last few days, they’re really hungry,” he said.
“They really believe in themselves and it’s going to be a really, really good occasion on Wednesday night.”
The issue for Chelsea is that Wednesday night’s result only concludes the first half of the tie, as Arsenal return to the Emirates for the decisive second-leg.
A cup semi-final between two London rivals has the makings of a blockbuster, but who will come out on top, Rosenior, or Arteta?
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