In soccer, the success of the top teams can be seen in the number of trophies that they end the season with. The top clubs in England have 3 opportunities to grab silverware in domestic competition, and while the Carabao Cup is seen as the least glamorous of the trophies, it’s still one that can prove to be a savior for teams who have nothing else going on in the other two competitions. Arsenal falls into that category, as they are now well out of the running for the Premier League title, and are also out of the FA Cup after being humbled by a side from a lower division over the weekend, one of the reasons why they come in as the Carabao Cup betting odds underdog for this contest.Domestically, this is the last chance for Arsenal to win something this season, although they are still also in the hunt in the Europa League. Chelsea, their opponents in the semi-final, are still alive in the FA Cup and would love to get a shot at winning this one to secure some silverware in the trophy room.This Wednesday game is the first of two legs, with the action shifting to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg. Can Chelsea gain an advantage with a home win, or can Arsenal head home with a lead?
If Arsenal goes crashing out of the Carabao Cup to their London rivals, we may well see a mutiny at the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger is sure to field a much stronger side than he did on the weekend, but he still has some injury concerns to deal with ahead of this one.
Carabao Cup Betting Odds & Pick: Chelsea vs. Arsenal
Antonio Conte: ‘@RBarkley20‘s physical condition is good and he has started to train with the group.’ 💪 pic.twitter.com/rxjXiRtrcw
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) 9 de enero de 2018
- When: Wednesday, January 10 at 2:45 PM EST
- Where: Stamford Bridge, London
- TV: ESPN 3
- Live Stream: Watch ESPN
- Carabao Cup Betting Odds: Chelsea -½ (-145) / Total at 2.5 goals
Recent Head to Head Results
- Arsenal 2 – Chelsea 2
- Chelsea 0 – Arsenal 0
- Arsenal 1 – Chelsea 1
- Arsenal 0 – Chelsea 3
- Chelsea 1 – Arsenal 2
Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – January 8th Edition
Carabao Cup Top Scorers
- Islam Slimani (Leicester City): 4
- Josh Murphy (Norwich City): 4
- Samuel Sáiz (Leeds United): 4
- Che Adams (Birmingham City): 3
- Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea): 3
- Edward Nketiah (Arsenal): 2
Why consider the Carabao Cup Betting Odds for Chelsea?
The defending Premier League champions have been good this season, but the reality is that everyone is swimming in the wake of the juggernaut that is Manchester City. The league title now looks to be a foregone conclusion, which is why these cup games are now taking on a greater level of importance.Chelsea got their Carabao Cup run started with a 5-1 win over Nottingham Forest, who ironically was the team that knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup. They followed that up with 2-1 wins over Everton and Bournemouth, to land their spot in the semi-final. Arsenal has proven to be a bit of a tough nut to crack for Chelsea, as they have not beaten them in their last 4 attempts. Draws have been the most common result, and their most recent meeting over the holiday period was a very entertaining 2-2 tie.Chelsea appears to be at full strength and should have a good team out for this one.Possible Line-Up
- 1-W. Caballero
- 24-G. Cahill
- 2-A. Rüdiger
- 21-D. Zappacosta
- 4-C. Fàbregas
- 22-Willian
- 11-Pedro
- 6-D. Drinkwater
- 16-Kenedy
- 44-E. Ampadu
- 23-M. Batshuayi
Why consider the Carabao Cup Betting Odds for Arsenal?
The Arsenal fans are not a happy bunch right now, and there are signs that things might be about to get worse for the Gunners. They are currently sitting outside of the automatic European spots in the Premier League right now and were totally thrashed 4-2 by Nottingham Forest over the weekend in the FA Cup. Further muddying the water is the fact that rumors are persisting that both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, two of the best players on the team, will be moving on in the January transfer window.If Arsenal goes crashing out of the Carabao Cup to their London rivals, we may well see a mutiny at the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger is sure to field a much stronger side than he did on the weekend, but he still has some injury concerns to deal with ahead of this one.Possible Line-Up
- 13-D. Ospina
- 2-M. Debuchy
- 31-S. Kolašinac
- 21-C. Chambers
- 16-R. Holding
- 34-F. Coquelin
- 35-Mohamed Elneny
- 69-J. Willock
- 14-T. Walcott
- 23-D. Welbeck
- 12-O. Giroud
