Chelsea vs Arsenal Predictions

These sides are going to come up with an intense outing, but Arsenal are likely to edge past Chelsea in their upcoming EFL Cup contest

Match info: EFL Cup Semi-Final (1^st leg)

Venue: Stamford Bridge, Londo

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Time: 9 pm Nigerian time

Fresh from emphatic away successes in their opening FA Cup ties, Liam Rosenior's Chelsea and Arsenal collide in Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues eliminated Cardiff City from the quarter-finals of the competition, while the Gunners needed the lottery of penalties to edge out Crystal Palace in the last eight.

Head-to-head:

• Chelsea have won 66 of the 212 meetings between the two teams.
• Arsenal recorded 85 victories.
• The remaining 61 clashes ended in draws.
• Chelsea have only won one of their last five matches.
• Arsenal have secured four wins in their last five attempts.
• The Gunners are undefeated in their last nine meetings against the Blues.
• Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal since 2021.
• Nine of their last 10 encounters produced at least two goals.

Form:

• Chelsea in the EFL Cup: W-W-W
• Chelsea in all competitions: L-D-D-L-W
• Arsenal in the EFL Cup: W-W-W
• Arsenal in all competitions: W-W-W-D-W

Team News:

• Levi Colwill is injured and Marc Cucurella is suspended, hence keeping them out of action for Chelsea. Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia are not yet confirmed to be a part of the squad.
• Arsenal will miss out on the services of Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Max Downman. They are injured. Cristhian Mosquera might also miss out due to a lack of fitness.

Player(s) to watch:

• Pedro Neto is going to be one of the main men in the attacking front for Chelsea FC. He was one of the goal scorers for Blue in the last outing and will be keen to engrave his name on the scoresheet once again. The Portuguese winger will lead the attack from the left and is going to cause issues for the visitors.
• Gabriel Martinelli is coming in after scoring a sensational hat-trick for Arsenal in their 4-1 FA Cup win against Portsmouth. It was a top performance by the 24-year-old. He will be looking to put in top efforts for the Gunners and lead them to another win. Martinelli is going to be a thorn for the opponents.