Chelsea is in a weird spot right now. Honestly, if you blinked on New Year’s Day, you probably missed the biggest coaching shake-up of the season. Enzo Maresca—the man who literally just brought home the Club World Cup trophy—is out, and Liam Rosenior is in. It’s chaotic, it’s peak Chelsea, and it leads us directly into a massive London derby.
The Chelsea next football match is a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
It kicks off at 8:00 PM GMT on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
If you’re looking for a quiet introduction to life in the Bridge dugout, this isn't it. Rosenior has been in the job for less than a week, and he's already facing a Mikel Arteta side that looks terrifyingly clinical. Most fans are staring at the Premier League table where Brentford—yes, Brentford—is actually sitting above Chelsea, but the cup is where the immediate drama is.
Why the Arsenal Game is a Tactical Minefield
Everyone expects the same old Chelsea vs. Arsenal narrative. You know the one: Arsenal keeps the ball, Chelsea tries to counter, and someone eventually makes a mistake. But Rosenior isn't Maresca.
Maresca was obsessed with that Pep-style "inverted fullback" system that, let’s be real, sometimes felt like watching paint dry when it wasn't clicking. Rosenior, coming from that BlueCo connection at Strasbourg, likes a bit more snap. He wants high intensity. He wants the players to actually run at people.
The problem? He’s only had a couple of training sessions to untrain the rigid positioning Maresca hammered into them for eighteen months.
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The Cole Palmer Factor
Cole Palmer is expected to start. Thank goodness.
He was rested for the 5-1 FA Cup win over Charlton—a game that was basically a glorified training session—but the medical staff have been hovering over him like nervous parents. There's been a lot of talk about "minor issues" escalating into season-ending ones. But for a semi-final? You play your best player.
If Palmer isn't 100%, Chelsea is basically a different team. They lack that "it" factor. Rosenior knows that if he loses this first leg at home, the return leg at the Emirates in February becomes a suicide mission.
Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Predicted Lineups and Absences
This isn't just a game of football; it's a game of "who is actually fit?"
Reece James is, once again, the big question mark. He took a knock at Fulham a week ago and missed the Charlton game entirely. The word from Cobham is that he’s pushing for a start, but Malo Gusto is ready to step in if James’s hamstring so much as twitches the wrong way.
Then you have the Moises Caicedo situation. He’s suspended for this one. That is a massive hole in the midfield.
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Chelsea Predicted XI (4-3-3):
- Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez
- Defense: Reece James (or Gusto), Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill (Injured - likely Badiashile), Marc Cucurella
- Midfield: Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Conor Gallagher (Note: Gallagher's status has been subject to transfer rumors, but he's expected to feature)
- Attack: Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer
Arsenal is dealing with their own headaches. William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are major doubts. If Saliba doesn't play, Arsenal’s backline looks way more human. They might have to start Christian Norgaard in defense, which is something Nkunku should be licking his lips at.
The Schedule From Hell
January is basically a marathon for this squad. Look at this run:
- Jan 14: Arsenal (H) - Carabao Cup
- Jan 17: Brentford (H) - Premier League
- Jan 21: Pafos (H) - Champions League
- Jan 25: Crystal Palace (A) - Premier League
- Jan 28: Napoli (A) - Champions League
Nine games in one month. It’s unsustainable. Rosenior has to rotate, but how do you rotate when you’re trying to impress a new fan base and stay in four different competitions?
Most people get this wrong: they think Chelsea will prioritize the league to catch up to the top four. But the board loves silverware. That Club World Cup win bought Maresca time, and it’s likely the only thing that will keep the "BlueCo" project from facing a total fan revolt is a trophy in the cabinet by May.
What to Watch For
Basically, watch the first fifteen minutes.
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If Chelsea comes out sitting deep, they’re in trouble. Arsenal will suffocating them. If Rosenior has actually managed to instill that "intensity" he talked about in his first presser, we might see a Chelsea team that finally looks aggressive at home.
Don't ignore the bench either. With the new substitution rules and the sheer amount of talent Chelsea has "stockpiled," the game will likely be won or lost in the 70th minute.
Strategy for the First Leg
- Don't concede early: Obvious, right? But Chelsea has a habit of "individual errors" (18 leading to goals this season).
- Target the Saliba-less gap: If Saliba is out, Gabriel is isolated. Nkunku needs to play on his shoulder.
- Manage Palmer’s minutes: If they go 2-0 up, get him off. If they're 1-0 down, pray he finds some magic.
The Chelsea next football match is more than just a cup tie. It’s the start of the Rosenior era and a chance to prove that sacking Maresca wasn't just another knee-jerk reaction from the hierarchy.
Keep an eye on the official team sheets around 7:00 PM on Wednesday. If Reece James and Cole Palmer are both in the starting lineup, the atmosphere at the Bridge is going to be electric. If they aren't, it’s going to be a long night for the Blues.
To prepare for the match, make sure you have the TNT Sports app updated or your Sky Sports subscription ready, as the UK broadcast is split across multiple platforms for the Carabao Cup semi-finals this year.