Chelsea will aim to overcome a 3-2 first leg deficit when they visit Arsenal in the second stage of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
The Blues were beaten 3-2 by the Gunners in Liam Rosenior’s first home match in charge last month, but a run of five consecutive victories across all competitions since then will have filled the west London outfit with confidence.
Chelsea followed up an impressive 3-2 victory against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night by beating West Ham United by the same scoreline on Saturday, coming from 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, the Blues have now confirmed two deadline day deals.
Chelsea confirmed on Monday that they had recalled defender Mamadou Sarr from his loan spell with French side Strasbourg, while fellow centre-back Aaron Anselmino has joined the Ligue 1 side.
Anselmino, 20, spent the first half of the current campaign on loan at German side Borussia Dortmund and impressed during his time with the club, before being recalled last month.
Anselmino spent the first half of this season on loan at German outfit Borussia Dortmund (Photo: DPA Picture Alliance Archive/Alamy)
The Argentine has only played once for Chelsea since joining from Boca Juniors in 2024, and he has now been sent to Strasbourg, who are under the same ownership group as the Blues.
Sarr, meanwhile, joined Chelsea from Strasbourg last summer, making his debut for the club at the Club World Cup in the United States, before being loaned back to the French club a matter of weeks later.
The French defender has impressed for Strasbourg so far this term, making 18 appearances across all competitions, but he has now returned to Stamford Bridge to provide competition for places in Rosenior’s squad.
Chelsea have struggled with absences in central defence so far this season, due in part to both injuries and suspensions.
