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
Read MoreThe real Chelsea priority for Liam Rosenior becomes clear after FA Cup victory
Liam Rosenior plays down big-game talk ahead of Chelsea’s cup clash with Arsenal
Chelsea v Arsenal live
- Chelsea host Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final | Kick-off at 8pm GMT
- 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
Last time Chelsea won the League Cup?
19:27 , Kieran Jackson2014-15. 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.
Rosenior arrives for his Bridge bow
19:22 , Kieran JacksonA 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...
Arsenal haven't won the League Cup in 33 years
19:17 , Kieran Jackson at Stamford BridgeThe domestic trophy that Arsene Wenger famously never won still eludes the Gunners.
Their last League Cup triumph was against Sheffield Wednesday back in 1993.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
19:10 , Kieran Jackson at Stamford BridgeIt’s near enough Mikel Arteta’s strongest side, barring Kepa Arrizabalaga continuing in goal.
William Saliba is fit to start.
Arsenal starting XI: Arrizabalaga, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
19:03 , Kieran JacksonNo Cole Palmer or Reece James for the hosts but Marc Cucurella starts.
Double boost for Arsenal.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Acheampong, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Fernandez, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto, Guiu.
Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, George, Tosin, Hato, Essugo, Mheuka, Buonanotte, Garnacho.
Rosneior on Sterling and Disasi's futures:
18:50 , Kieran Jackson"I will have conversations with them. We're in January, as you know.
"Raheem's had an outstanding career. I've got huge respect for him. Axel is someone I've really, really liked as a player for a long time.
"Honestly, I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I'm being genuinely honest. I literally have got to work through a list of priorities. I will do in the next few days."
Chelsea v Arsenal team news and line-ups
18:48 , Jamie BraidwoodChelsea 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
Is Chelsea vs Arsenal on TV today?
18:45 , Kieran JacksonThe match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 14 January at Stamford Bridge. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the action live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 7pm.
You can also watch the game online via NOW TV.
Chelsea and Arsenal renew rivalry in League Cup
18:40 , Jamie BraidwoodThis is the seventh time Chelsea have face Arsenal in the League Cup, with the Blues winning four of the previous six.
The last clash in this competition came in 2018. After a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal came from a goal down to progress to the final thanks an Antonio Rudiger own goal and a strike from Granit Xhaka.
In the final, Manchester City won 3-0, for their first trophy under Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea v Arsenal team news and line-ups
18:39 , Jamie Braidwood... will be coming up shortly.
But the big news for Arsenal is that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are with the Arsenal squad at Stamford Bridge.
Liam Rosenior: Arsenal are good at everything - I'm not calling them Set Piece FC!
18:25 , Jamie BraidwoodLiam Rosenior, when asked about Arsenal’s strengths before their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
"I don't know who's calling them 'Set Piece FC' - I'm definitely not! Arsenal are good at everything. They're a good team. It's not about taking the game back in time. You manage your per cent to be as good a team to win as many different ways as possible.
“They have a really, really clear idea in the way they want to play with the ball. And on top of that, they're very, very well organised with good delivery on set plays. That's what you want to be if you want to be successful.”
Arteta to take Carabao Cup seriously amid Arsenal's quadruple bid
18:10 , Jamie BraidwoodIt’s that time of year. Arsenal are still in the running for all four of the competitions they entered at the start of the season, so we have to discuss their quadruple chances!
Once thing is for sure. Mikel Arteta wants to win the Carabao Cup this season, despite Arsenal also being in a strong position in the Premier League and Champions League, as he thinks it can help their season overall.
“Well, the more you are involved in these kind of games, the better, because it gives you a nudge, it brings the team a different kind of energy,” Arteta said.
“It gives you the sense that the objective is very, very close and that’s a massive motivation for everybody.
“So we know that we are two games away from playing a final. We have to go game-by-game and the first one is Stamford Bridge.”
Do Arsenal have a Viktor Gyokeres problem?
17:55 , Jamie BraidwoodAnother big game for Arsenal means there will be more scrutiny of their big-money striker Viktor Gyokeres, should he start this evening.
Gyokeres has not scored from open play in his last 10 appearances for Arsenal, with nine of those starts. His only goal in that run was a penalty against Everton.
Arsenal have a Viktor Gyokeres problem and Mikel Arteta’s next move is clear
Liam Rosenior plays down big-game talk ahead of Chelsea’s cup clash with Arsenal
17:40 , Jamie BraidwoodChelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has played down suggestions his Stamford Bridge debut against London rivals Arsenal is the biggest game of his managerial career.
Just over a week on from his appointment on a six-and-a-half-year contract, the 41-year-old will lead the Blues into Wednesday evening’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against the Premier League leaders.
Rosenior arrived in west London following an impressive spell with French club Strasbourg after almost leading Hull to the Championship play-offs following an interim stint in charge of Derby.
Liam Rosenior plays down big-game talk ahead of Chelsea’s cup clash with Arsenal
William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are doubts for Arsenal and face late calls
17:25 , Jamie BraidwoodMikel Arteta revealed Arsenal could be without four key players for their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea .
Arteta disclosed new injury concerns over William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, while adding that Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori remain sidelined.
“Those two [Hincapie and Calafiori] are not available yet and the others that we have are Willie [Saliba] and Leo [Trossard]. Those two are a doubt,” explained the Spaniard.
While Arteta did not offer any more information on the nature of Saliba and Trossard’s issues, he did clarify that the club “don’t know” the results of Hincapie’s scan while providing more information on Calafiori.
Chelsea to leave Reece James and Cole Palmer semi-final decision to last minute
17:10 , Jamie BraidwoodChelsea boss Liam Rosenior will make late decisions on the fitness of Reece James and Cole Palmer, as well as Malo Gusto, ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal.
“I’ll make a decision on Cole, Reece and Malo,” Rosenior said. “I’m giving them some extra time. I’ve got time to make a decision. I haven’t made a decision on the team. We’ll make that decision tomorrow or on the morning of Wednesday.”
What is the Arsenal team news?
17:02 , Jamie BraidwoodKai Havertz returned as a substitute against Portsmouth on Sunday but this one is likely to come too soon for a starting berth against his former club. Defensive options Piero Hinacpie, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are all on the brink of a return while Leandro Trossard and William Saliba face late fitness tests.
What is the Chelsea team news?
17:01 , Jamie BraidwoodChelsea will make a late call on key duo Cole Palmer and Reece James, after both missed the win against Charlton, with Malo Gusto also facing a late fitness test. In a further blow, Moises Caicedo is suspended after picking up his second yellow card in the competition in December’s win at Cardiff.
Good evening
17:00 , Jamie BraidwoodLiam Rosenior takes charge of his first Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge as the Blues host Premier League leaders Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
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.
As for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, they are unbeaten since losing to Aston Villa at the start of December, including a penalty shoot-out win over Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals, and last time out defeated Portsmouth 4-1 in the FA Cup.
It finished all-square the last time these two met in November, with Mikel Merino cancelling out Trevoh Chalobah’s goal in a match memorable for Moises Caicedo’s red card in the first-half.
