Chelsea v Arsenal: Three stats and three bets for Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final

• Back goals at both ends in semi-final first leg

• Garnacho and Merino backed to make impact

• Read Mark Stinchcombe's Chelsea v Arsenal preview

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Chelsea v Arsenal
Wednesday 14 Jan, 20:00 kick-off
Live on Sky Sports

Liam Rosenoir's intiation as Chelsea manager continues with another London derby cup tie, although the visit of Premier League leaders Arsenal promises to be tougher than the Blues' trip to Charlton last weekend. The Gunners have other priorities - the title race, which they are 1/51.20 to win, and the Champions League - but winning is a habit and Mikel Arteta would love his side to claim this trophy. They are 13/82.63 to do so and Chelsea are 7/24.50.

There is a plenty of form where this fixture is concerned. Not only did the teams draw 1-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season but this is the third time Chelsea and Arsenal have met in the League Cup semi-final, with the Blues progressing in 1997-98 and Arsenal going through in 2017-18.

The following is just a short stats based preview of the match. For a more in-depth look ahead to the match, and to get the best bets, read Mark Stinchcombe's preview. 

Bet #1 - Back goals for both teams

The Stat

Chelsea have scored more goals than any other side remaining in the League Cup this season (9), with only Brighton (12) and Cardiff (10) netting more overall. Arsenal have score five goals across their three matches so far in the competition.

The Bet

Bet #2 - Back Garnacho to get among the goals

The Stat

Alejandro Garnacho has been involved in eight goals in his last five League Cup appearances (5 goals, 3 assists), scoring twice from the bench in Chelsea's 3-1 over Cardiff in the quarter-final.

The Bet

Bet #3 - Back Merino to strike against Blues again

The Stat

Mikel Merino has scored in his last two games against Chelsea, both in the Premier League in March and November 2025. The last Arsenal player to score in three in a row against the Blues was Ian Wright between 1992 and 1994 (4).

The Bet

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