Chelsea Face Arsenal Crisis: Star Duo Ruled Out as Blues Scramble for Solutions
Liam Rosenior faces his inaugural significant challenge as Chelsea's head coach, with the Blues set to welcome Arsenal for the opening leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash this Wednesday evening.
Rosenior has considerable ground to cover in convincing a doubtful Chelsea supporter base following Enzo Maresca's departure from west London earlier this year, though success in this semi-final would provide the new coach with substantial goodwill from fans.
The Gunners have held the upper hand in recent encounters between these sides, yet Chelsea arguably showed greater promise in both 1–1 stalemates under Maresca's guidance at Stamford Bridge during his time in charge.
Nevertheless, getting the better of Arsenal's Mikel Arteta presents a formidable task, and Rosenior may simply aim to keep his injury-depleted squad competitive ahead of next month's return fixture at the Emirates.
Here's the potential Chelsea starting eleven to face Arsenal in Wednesday's opening leg.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—The new manager appears unlikely to alter his goalkeeper selection immediately, with Sánchez set to continue as Chelsea's first-choice keeper.
RB: Malo Gusto—The full-back represents one of multiple fitness worries approaching this fixture, after sustaining an injury during last week's Fulham encounter. Nevertheless, the French defender isn't anticipated to be sidelined long and may return to the starting lineup by Wednesday.
CB: Wesley Fofana—Chelsea's improvement with Fofana in the lineup is undeniable, and Rosenior would be unwise to exclude the ex-Leicester City defender from his team selection.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—The English centre-back embodied Chelsea's determination in the last encounter against Arsenal, finding the net with an intelligent header despite the team losing Moisés Caicedo to an early dismissal.
LB: Marc Cucurella—With his ban now completed, Cucurella might receive an opportunity to prove himself in this distinctive position under Rosenior's system.
CM: Andrey Santos—With Caicedo ruled out due to his November dismissal and facing another suspension, Santos gains a clear path into the starting formation.
CM: Reece James—Chelsea urgently require their skipper available for the first leg, particularly considering his outstanding performance in their previous encounter.
RW: Estêvão—The touch of brilliance needed to penetrate Arsenal's resolute backline will come from the talented Brazilian youngster. Estêvão is likely to face off against fellow teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly.
AM: Enzo Fernández—Should Cole Palmer remain unavailable for Wednesday's match, Fernández is expected to resume his box-to-box midfield duties.
LW: Pedro Neto—While Rosenior possesses numerous wing alternatives, he may select Neto for this role. The Portuguese winger typically performs well against Arsenal.
ST: Liam Delap—The powerful target man might be favored over the more withdrawn João Pedro, as Rosenior has traditionally shown preference for strikers with Delap's physical attributes.
