Match preview :
Yet another London derby will take place tonight when Chelsea host Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. A late winner scored by Alvaro Morata in the last round saw the Blues advance into this stage. The Gunners are seven points behind the holding Champions in the League but as we saw in their recent encounter, Arsenal have no reason to feel inferior. Antonio Conte too, thinks that both sides will look to attack, which clearly implies we have a cracker of a contest on our hands.
Latest team news :
Conte has no fresh injury issues ahead of this game as Eden Hazard and Andreas Christensen will both return, and find themselves in the starting XI.
Unfortunately, this fixture has come too early for the new boy Ross Barkley, who will be seen on the field in Chelsea colours soon.
Predicted line up : (3-5-2)
Defence :
Thibaut Courtois will take up his usual place between the sticks. He has received a couple of man of the match awards recently and is on top of his game at the moment.
The firmly established Andreas Christensen (who has been keeping David Luiz out of the team) will return to the heart of defence alongside Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta. This trio boast of the second best defensive stats in the Premier League and are extremely difficult to navigate around.
The incredible Marcos Alonso will play as the left wingback. He goes forward with ease and offers a major goal threat himself. Victor Moses will be on the other flank. He is one of the better dribblers on the pitch and menacing when on song. Both of them are fabulous in the air too, the former being one of the best in the team.
Midfield :
Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante will return to the starting XI alongside Danny Drinkwater. Bakayoko is in line for a rest after seeing a spike in his workload recently. Fabregas will shoulder the creative burden while Drinkwater and Kante are likely to patrol the midfield and make it difficult for the Arsenal players to break forward.
Attack :
Eden Hazard has been declared fit and ‘ready to play’ by Conte after having picked up a niggle in his calf.
Alvaro Morata will get another chance to showcase his finishing ability and class as he is expected to start up front alongside Eden Hazard. The Spaniard will be smarting after a disastrous display against the same opponents recently and will look to come back strongly.
