Three Chelsea players set for return vs Arsenal as Rosenior offers Fernandez fitness update
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Chelsea are set to welcome back three key players into their side against Arsenal for their Carabao Cup semi-final tie on Tuesday night.
Head coach Liam Rosenior is looking to overturn a 3-2 deficit after Chelsea suffered a narrow first leg defeat at Stamford Bridge last month.
Rosenior has already conceded Arsenal are naturally favourites for Tuesday's clash as a spot in March's final awaits the winner, who will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United.
"The reality is Arsenal are favourites for the tie," previewed the Chelsea head coach. "They're a goal up and they're at home, so they'll expect to go through. We need to take it as far as we can and as deep as we can and then the second half hopefully will be massive in terms of turning the tie around."
If Chelsea, who are on a five-game winning streak in all competitions, are to knock Arsenal out, they will need their best players to step up and produce game-winning moments.
Marc Cucurella, Reece James and Joao Pedro all came off the bench against West Ham to offer huge impacts to help complete a comeback from two goals down to win 3-2 on Saturday evening.
All three will expect to return to the starting XI against Arsenal after receiving 45 minutes of rest. Wesley Fofana, whose minutes continue to be managed, could also start against the Gunners.
Enzo Fernandez has produced several clutch moments for Chelsea in recent games, scoring in his last three matches against Crystal Palace, Napoli and the match-winner against West Ham.
Rosenior has confirmed the Argentine is fit and raring to go against Arsenal, with the 25-year-old taking part in training on Monday at Cobham.
"He's fit," Rosenior said. "You see him, arriving in the box in the 92nd, 93rd minute (vs West Ham).
"Enzo's got a rare athleticism which is a gift where he can recover really quickly and his distances that he covers in terms of our data is absolutely top and the quality and the leadership he gives the team and I'm really enjoying working with him."
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.