Arsenal

[Teams] Arsenal vs Chelsea: Confirmed line-ups for League Cup semi-final 2nd leg

A place in the League Cup final is up for grabs as Arsenal take on Chelsea in an all-London semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

by
Fraser Crawford
February 3, 2026

A place in the League Cup final is up for grabs as Arsenal take on Chelsea in an all-London semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

The Gunners head into the game holding a 3-2 lead after winning a thrilling first leg at Stamford Bridge last month. Therefore, Arsenal just need to avoid defeat this evening to book their place in the final at Wembley.

Mikel Arteta has been dealt a triple injury blow with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino all ruled out. The Spanish coach has also made some changes from the side that thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the league on Saturday.

Kepa Arrizabalaga replaces David Raya in goal while the back four is made-up of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Pieri Hincapie. Riccardo Calafiori is named among the substitutes.

Martin Zubimendi and Delcan Rice start in the Arsenal midfield while Eberechii Eze starts in place of Odegaard. Noni Madueke lines-up on the right-flank in place of the injured Saka while Gabriel Martinelli gets the nod ahead of Leandro Trossard on the left wing.

Viktor Gyokeres has scored four times in his last six appearances and he’ll be looking to continue that streak tonight as he leads the line up front for Arsenal.

As for Chelsea, Robert Sanchez keeps goal but Reece James is ruled out. Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Nathan Chalobah, Jorrel Hate and Marc Cucurella all start.

Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos line-up in midfield with Enzo Fernandez in the advanced role. That means Cole Palmer has to make do with a place among the Chelsea substitutes.

Liam Delap and Joao Pedro are the attacking threats in the final third for the Blues meaning Estevao and Garnacho has to settle for places on the bench.

Here are the confirmed line-ups for the game: