Premier League | 14 January 2026 | 52

Where to Watch Chelsea vs Arsenal January 2026

Mansion Sports – The intense FA Cup atmosphere returns as two London giants face each other once again.

Chelsea and Arsenal arrive with high confidence after securing convincing victories in their previous matches, making this duel even more prestigious.

With a ticket to the final at stake, this match is not merely a game, but a test of mentality, tactics, and consistency for both teams.

Fresh from convincing away victories in their respective opening FA Cup matches, Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea and Arsenal will meet in the first leg of the FA Cup semifinal.

This match is scheduled to take place at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, at 20:00 local time.

The Blues eliminated Cardiff City in the quarterfinals of this competition, while The Gunners had to endure a dramatic penalty shootout to knock out Crystal Palace in the last eight.

Before kickoff, let us review Mansion Sports’ recommendations for where to watch Chelsea vs Arsenal January 2026 so you do not miss any of the excitement.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Chelsea

In a scenario that few might have predicted, Chelsea’s 3–1 victory over Cardiff in the EFL Cup quarterfinals turned out to be Enzo Maresca’s final match as head coach of The Blues, just weeks before his relationship with club management collapsed dramatically.

Before his controversial departure, Maresca also engineered victories—though not entirely convincing—over Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup, where Chelsea are set to play their first home match of the 2025–26 tournament this week.

The road to Wembley has often become a familiar story for Chelsea when they reach the semifinals in recent years, considering they have won four of their last five EFL Cup semifinal matches, with the only failure coming against Arsenal in the 2017–18 season.

Arsenal’s visit will mark Liam Rosenior’s first match with Chelsea against a Premier League side, after his team thrashed Charlton Athletic 5–1 in the third round of the FA Cup last weekend, ending a run of five matches without a win.

Turmoil on and off the pitch has been a recurring theme for Chelsea throughout the winter, with the Club World Cup champions both scoring and conceding in seven consecutive matches across all competitions, while also finding the net in each of their last 12 home games at Stamford Bridge.

Yellow card accumulations were wiped after the EFL Cup quarterfinals, but because Moises Caicedo received his second yellow card in the tournament against Cardiff, the Ecuadorian midfielder must serve a suspension.

More positive disciplinary news comes from Marc Cucurella, who is available again after serving a one-match ban, while Caicedo is sidelined alongside Mykhaylo Mudryk due to a doping suspension, Romeo Lavia with a thigh injury, and Levi Colwill, who is still struggling with a knee problem.

Ten Chelsea starters against Charlton also started against Cardiff in the EFL Cup quarterfinals, but Rosenior is expected to field his strongest lineup given the quality of the opposition.

Malo Gusto, Reece James, and Cole Palmer were not included in last weekend’s squad as a precautionary measure, but there are no serious concerns regarding the fitness of the trio.

Arsenal

A year after Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup semifinals, Maurizio Sarri’s team at the time went on to lose memorably to Manchester City in the 2018–19 final, a match best remembered for the controversial incident involving Kepa Arrizabalaga appearing to refuse substitution.

Nearly seven years later, Kepa has once again been in the spotlight during a penalty shootout, this time saving Maxence Lacroix’s effort as Arsenal dramatically eliminated Crystal Palace in the quarterfinals following a goalless draw.

Now just 270 minutes away from a long-awaited EFL Cup trophy, Mikel Arteta hopes that the third attempt will be the charm for his side, after being knocked out at this stage by Liverpool in 2021–22 and by Newcastle United last season.

Still competing on four fronts, Arsenal have recorded eight wins from their last nine matches in all competitions, including a 4–1 victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup, where Gabriel Martinelli scored his first hat-trick for The Gunners.

Despite Chelsea’s attacking strength at home, Arsenal are enjoying an impressive run, having scored in 13 consecutive away matches, including a 1–1 draw against a 10-man Chelsea side in the Premier League at the end of November.

While that result was less than ideal for Arsenal, it extended their unbeaten run against Chelsea to eight matches, and since August 2018, Arsenal have not lost at Stamford Bridge.

Within the Arsenal camp, former Chelsea player Kai Havertz has finally returned to action after a long absence due to a knee injury and appeared as a substitute last Sunday, while Viktor Gyokeres, who is currently experiencing a dip in form, remains the leading candidate to start up front.

Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman, and Cristhian Mosquera are all ruled out for several weeks, while William Saliba and Leandro Trossard were also listed as doubts during the pre-match press conference.

Arteta continues to place his trust in Kepa in cup competitions, and although the former Chelsea goalkeeper could have done better when conceding against Portsmouth, he may be trusted again thanks to the manager’s full backing.