Chelsea vs Arsenal Prediction & Betting Tips (14 January)

Winner of this League Cup for the last time in 2015, Chelsea have a great opportunity to end their drought this season. In previous rounds, the Blues gained the upper hand, away from home each time, over Lincoln 1-2, Wolverhampton 3-4 and Cardiff 1-3. Slightly behind on their table in the league, they are currently 8th in the Premier League and concede 4 units of spending on the Big 4. The checkered results led to the dismissal of coach Enzo Maresca at the end of December. Under the orders of interim Calum McFarlane, the London team first brought home a good point from Manchester City 1-1 before losing to Fulham 2-1. For the first time on Liam Rosenior's bench, Chelsea outclassed Charlton last weekend in the FA Cup 1-5. Beaten in the semi-final of the League Cup last year, Arsenal have not won this competition since 1993.

To reach the last four this season, Mikel Arteta's gang defeated Port Vale 0-2, Brighton 2-0 and Crystal Palace 1-1, qualifying following penalties. In the championship, the Gunners have the cards in hand to pocket the title which has eluded the club since 2004. In fact, they are at the top of the Premier League with 6 points ahead of their closest pursuer. On the last day, Arsenal were held to a draw at home by Liverpool 0-0. This result ended a series of 5 victories in the PL. Last weekend, Arsenal reported their superiority over Portsmouth to enter the FA Cup 1-4. 

For Chelsea, we must mention the withdrawals of replacement midfielder Lavia and long-time absent defender Colwill. In addition, the important left side Cucurella is suspended while the winger Mudryk is still unavailable following his doping case. Last weekend, Liam Rosenior spared many executives who should find a starting place this week. We are thinking in particular of midfielder Fernandez (6 goals in PL) and winger Pedro Neto (5 goals and 3 assists in PL), who scored after coming into play against Charlton. French defender Fofana, receiver Caicedo (3 goals in PL) and attacking midfielder Palmer (3 goals in PL) are expected in the starting 11. To occupy the forefront of the attack, Joao Pedro (6 goals and 3 assists in PL) and Delap (1 goal in PL) are in the balance. On the Arsenal side, the starting fullback Calafiori, the replacement defenders Hincapie and Mosquera as well as the very young midfielder Dowman (16 years old), insufficiently recovered from their physical problems, are missing.

Otherwise, it’s all hands on deck this week. Injured for a long time this season, striker Havertz returned to the field last weekend. Mikel Arteta took advantage of the FA Cup match to make a turnover. Winger Martinelli stood out with a hat-trick. In the midfield, the captains Zubimendi, Rice (4 goals and 3 assists in PL) and Odegaard (1 goal and 3 assists in PL) should take their place. To start in the attacking trio, Saka (4 goals and 3 assists in PL), Gyokeres (5 goals in PL) and Torssard (5 goals and 4 assists in PL) apply but Martinelli (1 goal in PL) and Gabriel Jesus (1 goal in PL) will have their say. 

• Summary: Chelsea is going head to head with Arsenal starting on 14 Jan 2026 at 20:00 UTC at Stamford Bridge stadium, London city, England. The match is a part of the EFL Cup .
• Referee: Simon Hooper
• Chelsea Feedinco Rating: 6.84
• Arsenal Feedinco Rating: 7.02