Liam Rosenior's first home game in charge of Chelsea will be against London rivals Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The former Strasbourg head coach took charge of his first match over the weekend, a 5-1 drubbing of Charlton at the Valley in the third round of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were also big victors away from home in the competition, beating Portsmouth 4-1. Now, the Gunners head across London with the intention of securing a positive result, in preparation for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
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Chelsea vs Arsenal prediction: Rosenior to receive harsh lesson?
Key stats
- Chelsea's victory at Charlton ended a five-game winless run.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions, winning eight of them.
- Arsenal are also unbeaten in nine previous H2Hs across all competitions.
Correct score prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal made 10 changes against Portsmouth, and so their strongest XI is well-rested ahead of this clash. They are in great form and have a brilliant recent H2H record against Chelsea, so we can see their strength-in-depth being too much for the Blues to handle.
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Pre-game odds and win probability: Arsenal favourites with bookmakers
- HOME: 21/10 (3.10) – 32.3%
- DRAW: 12/5 (3.40) – 29.4%
- AWAY: 5/4 (2.25) – 44.4%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
As shown by the implied probabilities, Arsenal have been installed as the favourites by bookmakers to take a first-leg lead to the Emirates. A Chelsea win can still be backed at just over 32% though, while a draw is valued at just over 29%, so a Gunners victory still offers sizeable enough odds in our eyes.
Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Today’s betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Most recent H2Hs: Arsenal on top
As mentioned before, Arsenal are unbeaten in the last nine meetings between the two sides in all competitions. The previous H2H was in the Premier League earlier this season, where the Gunners came out of Stamford Bridge with a 1-1 draw despite Chelsea putting in a widely-praised performance.
England Premier League 30/11/25
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England Premier League 16/03/25
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TEST Fixtures 07/03/25
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TEST Fixtures 06/02/25
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England Premier League 10/11/24
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Chelsea preview: Key trio facing fitness tests
Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto all have to face late fitness tests for Chelsea to determine if they can make the starting XI. Moises Caicedo is suspended.
Predicted lineup: Sanchez (GK); Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Hato; James, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto & Delap
Last five results:
- Charlton 1-5 Chelsea
- Fulham 2-1 Chelsea
- Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth
- Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa
Arsenal preview: White to start?
In the absence of injured defensive trio Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Cristian Mosquera, Ben White could earn himself another start here. Gabriel Magalhaes may be the only other survivor from Arsenal’s starting XI against Portsmouth.
Predicted lineup: Raya (GK); White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Zubimendi, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres & Martinelli
Last five results:
- Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal
- Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
- Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal
- Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
- Arsenal 2-1 Brighton
Player to watch: Gabriel Martinelli
After the controversy surrounding Conor Bradley’s injury for Liverpool in their 0-0 draw at Arsenal, Gabriel Martinelli then scored a hat-trick in his next game, the 4-1 win at Portsmouth. The Brazilian may lose his place in the starting XI to a fully-fit Leandro Trossard, but he has shown he can still make a significant impact.