Wembley within reach, will Arsenal or Chelsea succeed?

The derby and the battle for a ticket to the EFL Cup Final at London's Wembley. That's exactly what Tuesday's match between Arsenal and Chelsea will offer. The first semi-final clash at Stamford Bridge was won by Mikel Arteta's, who managed to win in a spectator-attractive match 3:2 on the ground of the city rival. Arsenal will therefore go into the rematch with a one-goal lead. But that doesn't mean anything. Players of both teams still have at least ninety minutes to play, which can offer a lot. The best proof is the aforementioned first semi-final match, in which five goals were scored. Will Arsenal manage to fight their way to the EFL Cup final after eight long years or will Chelsea manage to turn the unfavourable situation around in north London? Let's hope we see the first option that sends Arsenal to Wembley. Now, let's move on together to all the important things to know before the game.

Form

Who is better off with current form, Arsenal or Chelsea? Everything relevant to the form, including specific results of both teams, can be found in the following tables.

Arsenal

📈 Current form: 🟢 🟢 🔴 🟢 🟡

⚽️ Results: Leeds 0:4 Arsenal (PL), Arsenal 3:2 Kairat Almaty (CL), Arsenal 2:3 Manchester United (PL), Inter 1:3 Arsenal (CL), Nottingham 0:0 Arsenal (PL)

🏆 Premier League position: 1. (53 points)

Chelsea

📈 Current form: 🟢 🟢 🟢 🟢 🟢

⚽️ Results: Chelsea 3:2 West Ham (PL), Napoli 2:3 Chelsea (CL), Crystal Palace 1:3 Chelsea (PL), Chelsea 1:0 Paphos (CL), Chelsea 2:0 Brentford (PL)

🏆 Premier League position: 5. (40 points)

Team and expected line-up

Given the breadth of the squad Arsenal have this year, it would be a big surprise if we didn't see several changes in the starting lineup. Who we will eventually see in the starting eleven and who will sit on the substitutes' bench is becoming harder and harder to predict. The Spanish manager has more than enough options for the North London team. To be honest, he's I'm not too sure about the lineup this time.. As I mentioned a few lines above, I expect changes, but how many and what kind will remain a mystery until the official line-ups are announced.

Expected line-up

I'm not sure about the goalie position right now.. Kepa Arrizabalaga hasn't missed a single EFL Cup match in the starting line-up so far, but this time it's a final in the true sense of the word. That's why I thought Mikel Arteta could bet on David Raya. After much consideration, I'm probably more inclined to say that Kepa will start in goal again. I'm not sure about the composition of the defensive four either. In the centre of defence, we'll have a tried and tested pairing. William Saliba and Gabriel. Although the Spanish manager has many options in defence, I would be surprised if he would reach into his heart in such a game. It's a bit different with the central defenders. Not only in terms of maintaining match rhythm, but also in terms of workload distribution, we will see personnel changes at these positions. On the right edge of the defence, I think we will start Ben White, and on the left Riccardo Calafiori.

For the central midfield, on the one hand I want to write that Arsenal will start with the typical Zubimendi-Rice-Ødegaard formation, but I have a feeling that this time he will get a chance from the first minute Christian Nørgaard. Martín Zubimendi is one of Arsenal's busiest players, so his minutes need to be adjusted. The same goes for Declan Rice, but I expect him in the starting lineup. One of the main reasons, besides his gameplay, are the standard situations. At the number ten position, he's already must return team captain Martin Ødegaard.

The offensive trident can run in virtually any formation. I'll start with the right wing, where most likely starts Noni Madueke. Normally, in a game like this, he wouldn't be in the starting lineup Bukayo Saka, but since his condition is not 100%, his compatriot will replace him. There are many more options on the left wing. This time it's more of a wishful thinking, because I'd like to be in the starting lineup again after a long time. was happy to see Eberechi Eze. As for the position of a top striker, Arteta has three options. My guess is that Kai Havertz will start from the first minute, but equally, there may be Viktor Gyökeres or Gabriel Jesus.

Absences

Unfortunately, the situation when Mikel Arteta had the whole squad at his disposal didn't last long. He suffered a serious injury, namely a fracture in his foot, in the league match against Manchester United. Mikel Merino, who will be missed by Arsenal for weeks or months. Apart from the Spanish player, who will definitely not be involved in the match, there are also a question mark over the health of Bukaya Saka. All other players should be medically fine. Well, except maybe Max Dowman, for which I have still not registered any new information. This means that not all players will fit in the match nomination this time. Personally, I'm leaning towards will be given Tuesday off as a precautionary measure Piero Hincapié, who's relatively recently returned from injury.

Opponent

🏟️ Stadium: Stamford Bridge, London (capacity 40 341)

👔 ManagerLiam Rosenior

🧤GoalkeepersFilip Jörgensen, Robert Sánchez

🛡️ DefendersJosh Achempong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashille, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, Jorrel Hato, Reece James

🎯 Midfielders: Andrey Santos, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Estêvão, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens

⚽️ ForwardsLiam Delap, Marc Guiu, João Pedro

Match

The first semi-final match at Stamford Bridge went better for Arsenal, who won 3-2 at Chelsea's home stadium. And it is with this one-goal lead that the Gunners will go into Tuesday's rematch at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal only need to win the return leg to advance to the EFL Cup final. Still, I don't think Mikel Arteta will go into the game with a purely defensive tactic, on the contrary. I expect Arsenal to want to play their game with a high percentage of ball possession, which usually allows them to dictate the pace of the game. Arsenal's big advantage will be the lead from the first game, which means that Chelsea will have to push more and more on the offensive as time goes on. You can probably guess where I'm going with this. This will open up spaces in Chelsea's defence for the Gunners to exploit.

The favourite of the match is Arsenal, also due to the result of the first semi-final, who, apart from a narrow lead the home environment will also play into the hands. In terms of the quality of the playing squad, both teams are among the best in England, however I see a significant difference in the width of the squad. Mikel Areta will have a stacked bench despite the absence of Mikel Merino and probably Bukay Saka, no matter how he assembles the starting eleven. The width of the squad has been one of Arsenal's biggest, if not the biggest, weapon this season. As for Chelsea, they will be looking to take advantage of their excellent current form. Liam Rosenior's men have won their last five competitive games. It is worth remembering that Chelsea's last defeat was Arsenal in North London. I believe that Mikel Arteta's men will keep the lead from the first match at home and that they will win the rematch. I predict Arsenal to win 1:0.

Next match

The next game on Arsenal's schedule is this weekend, on Saturday 7 February 2026 from 16:00 (CET). Mikel Arteta's men welcome one of the biggest surprises of the season to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League, Sunderland.

See you next time, I'll look forward to it!

You might be interested in

• Arsenal Weekly | Vol. 1
• Will Arsenal break the league winless streak at Elland Road?
• Will Arsenal extend their 100% record in the Champions League?
• Finally at home, Arsenal host Manchester at the Emirates
• Arsenal will challenge Inter at the San Siro again after one year