HP Terbaru 2023 – Arsenal and Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semifinal, second leg

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By Alex Roberts

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Talk of a wobble appeared premature Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League thanks to their 4-0 win over Leeds over the weekend. The pressure is off now, and the treble (at a minimum) is very much on.

The vibes at Chelsea are getting better by the game. Coming from 2-0 down to beat West Ham will have worked wonders for their confidence, even if the first half performance was abysmal. It turns out, when Chelsea play their best players, they play better. 

Gyökeres finding some form

It’s not unfair to say that Viktor Gyökeres hasn’t lived up to the hype since he joined from Sporting in the summer. Whisper it quietly, however, four goals and two assists in his last six games across all competitions is a very good return.

The striker scored last time out, albeit thanks to some poor goalkeeping from Robert Sánchez being unable to gather Bukayo Saka’s low cross. All goals count the same though, it may not have been pretty, but he won’t care.

In another season, Arsenal may not be where they are today with a misfiring forward line. Gyökeres was signed to be the man to fire them to silverware, and recent performances show he still have every opportunity to make it happen.

Are you Frank Lampard in disguise?

Speaking of players who deserve their flowers at the moment, Enzo Fernández has been imperious for Chelsea since the turn of the year. Six goals in in his last ten games are numbers a certain former midfielder would be happy with.

Yes, a couple have been penalties, but it’s the way he’s changed his game over the course of the season that has really caught our attention. Fernández is timing his runs into the box perfectly, and his teammates are getting good at picking him out.

His goal in the 3-2 win over West Ham is the perfect example of that. Tomáš Souček doesn’t pick up his run until it’s too late, and by the time the big Czech ace goes to make a move, the ball is in the back of the net. Fernández is very quickly becoming one of Chelsea’s main goal threats.

Team news

The big team news is that Arsenal’s Mikel Merino is likely to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. Whether Mikel Arteta has time to bring in a replacement remains to be seen, but either way, this game would be too soon.

Saka is also a major doubt having recently picked up a knock, meaning Noni Madueke will likely retain his place and feature against his former club on the right wing. Young Max Dowman (ankle) is also out.

Turning to Chelsea, their injury list is a little more extensive, but the starting line-up shouldn’t change too much. Rosenior will be without Roméo Lavia (thigh), Dário Essugo (muscle), Levi Colwill (ACL), Tosin Adarabioyo (thigh), and Jamie Gittens (muscle).

Prediction

Chelsea are winning games under Rosenior that they would have probably drawn or lost under Enzo Maresca. Having said that, Arsenal are by far the toughest side he’s faced, and it didn’t go to plan in the first leg.

We’re going with a 2-0 home win and Arsenal to progress to the final.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

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