Arsenal v Chelsea Betting Tips
Arsenal have done the hard work when it comes to reaching the Carabao Cup final. The task is simple when it comes to the clash against Chelsea on 3 February. Avoid defeat and their supporters can start planning a trip to Wembley Stadium. The Gunners are unlikely to let things slip and they're actually at odds of 1.66 to claim a victory. This suggests that there is a 60% chance that Mikel Arteta's side will go through to a final against Manchester City.
There are also odds on Arsenal to qualify. A price of 1.083 isn't for single bets but reflects that the Gunners have a 93% chance of going through. However, it's a tricky situation to be in and the Premier League leaders were recently rocked by a 3-2 home defeat against Manchester United. That was their first home reverse of the season in the top flight.
Normally, Arsenal are fairly reliable on home soil. They have racked up nine wins and two draws in their other eleven home matches in the Premier League. There have also been victories against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, although the Gunners have hit the buffers in recent weeks and only played out a goalless draw against Liverpool.
The big question is whether Chelsea can find a way to turn this tie on its head. Their away form has been five wins, four draws and three defeats. It's not exactly glowing although Liam Rosenior appears to be making a positive impact. There have been four wins in the space of five games and a recent 3-1 win at Selhurst Park was richly-deserved.
The Blues will initially look to nullify their opponents and look for ways to get the better of them from an attacking perspective. There is lots of weaponry capable of finding the net, with Estevao and Joao Pedro both operating well from an attacking point-of-view. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are midfield battering rams which can help the team to a positive win.
Goals Under/Over
The semi-final first leg ended in a 3-2 win for Arsenal. The Carabao Cup betting sites think that Over 2.5 Goals is likely to be the outcome for the second leg clash. There are odds of 1.70 available that there are at least three goals in this game. That implies a 60% probability that it will happen. There's plenty on the line and Chelsea need to score at least one goal to force the game into extra-time. It's likely that they'll need to find the net twice.
It's a case of risk versus reward in this London derby for the Blues. They might not want to attack too much early on and risk being two goals behind on aggregate. Therefore, we could see a cagey opening from both sides, with Under 2.5 Goals potentially becoming a runner if the match is a tight one.
There's always the possibility that we could end up witnessing an end-to-end contest if Chelsea have to go in search of goals. We'd expect the net to bulge a few times in this contest.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes odds are the same as Over 2.5 Goals price. We're more in favour of backing the former. The two teams will have their own reasons for attacking and it's pretty rare that Arsenal draw a blank, especially at home. The Gunners' only game where they failed to score was that goalless draw against Liverpool when a well-drilled visiting team managed to shut them out with some stout defending.
Mikel Arteta will have rested his key players for the Champions League final group game against Kairat Almaty, with a weekend clash at Leeds coming before this encounter. The Spaniard will field his big guns and there's that obvious threat from set pieces that is posed by players such as Jurrien Timber and Gabriel.
As for Chelsea, they have scored in their past thirteen games in all competitions. Since a goalless draw at Bournemouth, there have been a stack of BTTS Yes matches. Indeed, the only Blues' matches where BTTS No happened after the Vitality Stadium have been a 2-0 win over Everton and a 1-0 success in the Champions League against Pafos.
First Goalscorer
We're working on the basis that both teams will be at full strength for this one. Arsenal's goals have been shared around for much of the season, with Gabriel Jesus potentially leading the line ahead of Viktor Gyokeres. We will be intrigued to see how Marc Cucurella gets on against the dangerous Bukayo Saka, although the best bet could be Eberechi Eze if he is selected ahead of Martin Odegaard in a central midfield position.
Gabriel is a monster from set pieces and rates as the best option from corners, with Jurrien Timber also capable of being in the right place at the right time. There's even a chance that Declan Rice can step up from midfield and find the net, especially from range if Chelsea are keeping a low block.
Chelsea will have lots of attacking weapons, with Alejandro Garnacho potentially coming back to the team after notching a brace in the first leg. It depends whether he is selected ahead of Estevao, Joao Pedro or Pedro Neto, with Trevor Chalobah offering a threat from set pieces and the central defender has found the net a couple of times this term.