Arteta to make 5 changes | Predicted Arsenal XI vs Chelsea as £6m star returns
Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final tonight.
The Gunners ended a three-match winless league streak with a convincing 4-0 victory over Leeds United on the road.
The club go into the London derby with momentum and will aim to reach their first League Cup final since 2018.
Arsenal have a slender 3-2 advantage after the first leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge.
Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta could make five changes from the comfortable win at Elland Road on Saturday.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the Gunners’ regular choice in the Cup competitions. He has been ever-present in the Carabao and FA Cups, and should get the nod over David Raya between the sticks.
The Spaniard will be eyeing a clean sheet tonight. He was far from his best with his handling and positioning at the Bridge and could have prevented the goals conceded to Alejandro Garnacho.
The backline could witness a couple of changes. We expect William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to continue as the central defensive pairing, but there will likely be rotation in the full-back positions.
Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are frontrunners to replace Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie at right and left-back respectively. White scored the opening goal in the first leg of the semi-final tie.
In midfield, Arteta should go with his best central combination of Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice. Zubimendi made a high-profile error in the 3-2 league loss to Manchester United, but redeemed himself with the opening goal at Leeds.
The duo will have more defensive responsibility. Christian Norgaard could come off the bench to shore up the midfield, but Mikel Merino won’t play any part in the derby, having suffered a foot injury that could sideline him for several weeks.
Kai Havertz has started the last two games for the north London giants, but could feature off the bench. Arteta has emphasised the need to manage the German’s workload and be selective over when to start him. Hence, Martin Odegaard could return to the starting XI in the attacking midfield role.
The club captain came off the bench to provide an assist against the Whites. He has had a good record against Chelsea, scoring two goals and providing five assists in 10 appearances across all competitions
Eberechi Eze is more likely to feature off the bench with Odegaard and Havertz ahead of him in the pecking order based on the manager’s selections over the last couple of matches.
In the final third, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres should keep their places. Madueke replaced Bukayo Saka in the starting XI on short notice against Leeds after the former picked up a knock in the warm-up.
He had a brilliant outing, registering his first goal and assist in the league for the Gunners. With Saka not 100 percent fit yet, Madueke looks set to continue on the right wing against his ex-employers.
Viktor Gyokeres ended his league goal drought by finding the net against Leeds. The Swede has been in good form over the last six matches in all competitions with four goals and two assists.
The former Sporting CP striker managed a couple of goal involvements in the reverse leg at the Bridge, and we would prefer his physical presence and improved hold-up play upfront.
Gabriel Martinelli should get the nod over Leandro Trossard on the left wing against the Blues. Trossard has gone through a lean patch, and the Belgian should be swapped with Martinelli.
The Brazilian, signed for £6 million from Ituano, has 12 goal contributions this term. He is in good form with a goal against Kairat and a superb left-footed assist for Gyokeres last weekend.
How Arsenal could line up vs Chelsea tonight
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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