We could be in for a night of high drama on Wednesday when Arsenal host Chelsea in the second leg of their EFL Cup Semi Final clash. The tie is delicately poised after the first leg ended in a 0-0 stalemate at Stamford Bridge and Arsene Wenger will be confident that his side can get the job done at home after turning in a solid defensive display in the first leg. The winners of this semi final will face either Manchester City or Bristol City in the final at Wembley Stadium next month.
EFL Cup – Arsenal v Chelsea – Emirates Stadium, London – January 24th 2018 – 20:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 12/5 at Ladbrokes |
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Arsenal
ChelseaArsenal
Arsenal come into this game full of confidence after picking up an impressive 4-1 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Arsenal scored all four of their goals in thrilling first 22 minutes which showcased all of their attacking class. With Alexis Sanchez on the brink of completing his move to Manchester United, Arsenal fans will be excited about the prospect of Henrikh Mkhitaryan joining the club along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who also looks close to moving to The Emirates Stadium from Borussia Dortmund. Jack Wilshere hobbled off in the first leg with an injury, but the diminutive midfield maestro is expected to be fit for Wednesday’s match.
Chelsea
Chelsea also turned in an impressive performance on Saturday, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 with Eden Hazard looking in majestic form as he helped himself to a brace. Thibaut Courtois missed that game with injury and Willy Caballero will likely keep his place in goal on Wednesday night as well. Alvaro Morata and Pedro missed Saturday’s game through suspension after their red cards against Norwich City in the FA Cup, but both will be expected to return to the starting line up on Wednesday. Cesc Fabregas is facing a race against time to be fit for the game against his former side, with the Spanish international currently nursing a hamstring strain.
Talking Points
1. These two sides have met three times this season; two of the games have finished 0-0, with the other ending in 2-2.
2. Arsenal have won nine of their 12 games at The Emirates in the Premier League this season; only the two Manchester clubs have picked up more points at home.
3. The two big summer signings for these clubs, Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette have both been criticised recently, but have scored 19 goals between them in the league.
Prediction
This one is a tough game to call and with the tie delicately poised at 0-0 on aggregate it really could go either way. Both of these sides were excellent in the league on Saturday, with both scoring four goals in comfortable wins. Arsenal have been solid at home this season and for that reason I’m going to back them to pick up the victory in this one. Arsene Wenger will be hoping that Alexis Sanchez’s move away from the club is completed before Wednesday’s game so that sideshow can be put to an end.
Arsenal v Chelsea – Betting Odds and Predictions
I think BTTS at 4/6 looks like a good bet in this one because I fancy both teams to have a really good go at it. A slightly riskier bet could be Arsenal to win and BTTS at 24/5.
Top Betting Tip Arsenal v Chelsea
Chelsea start Wednesday’s game as slight favourites at odds of 5/4, whilst a home win for Arsenal is priced up at 21/10, with the draw available at 12/5. It’s a tough one to call here and even though two of the three games between these two this season have finished goalless, the other game ended 2-2 and in reality could have been 4-4 with both teams missing a host of chances.