English League Cup: Arsenal vs Chelsea – Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Arsenal host Chelsea on Wednesday morning New Zealand time in what is a massive second leg English League Cup encounter at Emirates Stadium.

The home side holds a slender lead after that five-goal thriller at the Bridge, while the visitors are desperate to overturn the deficit and book their ticket to Wembley. This is a match you won’t want to miss. Will Arsenal protect their advantage and march towards another trophy, or can Chelsea pull off a massive turnaround under Liam Rosenior?

I’ve looked at all the key factors that could impact the outcome of this match in this Arsenal vs Chelsea preview. From team news to the hard stats, I’ve got everything you need, including a $4.10 play for those of you looking to use new betting sites this week.

Arsenal

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I reckon Arsenal are the most balanced team in the world right now. They’re leading the league and for good reason, coming off yet another dominant win, this time 4-0 against Leeds. In the first leg of this League Cup clash, they’ve already bagged a 3-2 win, so they have one foot through. But knowing Arsenal, they won’t just sit back.

They play a style that just suffocates teams, and with Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka in red-hot form, they’re always a threat. I’ve watched them dominate at Emirates Stadium plenty of times this year. They refuse to give an inch, and I can’t see any reason why that’d be different this week.

Team News: William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are major doubts after missing training. Max Dowman is out.

Predicted Lineup: Raya; White, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zinchenko; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Gyokeres.

Chelsea

On the bright side, Chelsea look completely revived since Liam Rosenior took the reins. They’ve won four on the bounce (in the league) and are finally showing some decent consistency. They’re up to fifth now and have silenced plenty of critics in the past month or two.

Chelsea love the space home teams give them. Don’t just take my word for it though, the evidence is there to see on paper: they’ve been averaging nearly two goals a game on the road. My main concern is that Chelsea’s defence still switches off at the worst times. On top of that, they’re missing some key names through injury/suspension. 

A loud Emirates Stadium will be a different kettle of fish entirely and there’s a reason why NZ betting sites have them as heavy underdogs.

Team News: Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended. Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Romeo Lavia are all out.

Predicted Lineup: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Joao Pedro, Garnacho; Jackson.

• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last nine matches against Chelsea.
• Chelsea have scored three or more goals in three successive away wins under Rosenior.
• Viktor Gyokeres has had eight goal involvements in his last six matches for Arsenal.
• 11 of Arsenal’s last 15 home fixtures have seen them leading at half time.
• Both teams have scored in 63% of Chelsea’s matches this season.

This should be a great match to watch, as I expect both sides will have their moments. 

Arsenal have the upper hand after winning the first leg, so they’ll likely try to control the pace of this match. This should lead to Chelsea getting a little desperate at times, leaving gaps, then Arsenal pouncing.

Where this will be won is in the half-spaces where Martin Odegaard operates. If Chelsea’s pivot of Caicedo and Fernandez doesn’t track his late runs, it could get rough. I also want to see how Malo Gusto deals with Gabriel Martinelli’s pace. If Rosenior sets up with a high line to press Arsenal, they risk being carved open by direct balls over the top. Plenty of football expert tips are suggesting a high-scoring game, and I’m inclined to agree.

Bottom line, Chelsea have the firepower to cause problems, but I don’t trust their makeshift defence to keep a clean sheet against this Arsenal attack. I’m picking a 2-2 draw. It’ll be a close one, but Arsenal’s structure should be enough to see them through to the final.

Draw and Both Teams to Score @ $4.10

While Arsenal are the better team, they have a habit of letting in a soft goal when they’re in control. Chelsea are desperate and will throw everything at them, so both teams finding the net feels like a fairly likely outcome. A score draw covers the likely scenario of a chaotic match where neither side’s defence is perfect, and it’s priced at a juicy $4.10 at Bet and Play.