Garnacho Makes Gunners Comparison That Accidentally Reveals How Chelsea Rate Arsenal
Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho has given a sneak peek at the highly anticipated Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, and in doing that, he may have inadvertently shown just how much respect the Blues have for their London neighbours.
The two-legged tie kicks off at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday January 14th, 2026 and then we’ll see Arsenal back at the Emirates on February 3rd . A place in the Wembley final is up for grabs and that just adds to the excitement of this mouthwatering London derby.
Arsenal’s Motivation: Getting Over a Semi-Final Hump and Proving a Point
Arsenal are expected to be the favourites going into the tie, given how well they’ve been doing in both the Premier League and the Champions League under Mikel Arteta. However, they have a bit of a poor record in two-legged semi-finals which must be driving them to make progress.
There’s also unfinished business from their last meeting . In the Premier league at Stamford Bridge, Moises Caicedo got his marching orders in the 38th minute, leaving Chelsea with 10 men. Despite that, the Blues managed to take the lead through Trevoh Chalobah before Arsenal equalized for a real nail-biter of a draw . That Chelsea performance left them feeling like they can give anyone a run for their money.
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Garnacho’s Bold Claim: “We Can Beat Any Team, No Question”
Garnacho spoke to Chelsea’s official website, giving us an insight into their confidence ahead of this big match:
” We know it’s going to be tough but we already showed the world that we can beat anyone. I mean, we beat Barcelona in the Champions league and then we even managed to beat Arsenal at home with ten men. So yeah, we are a fantastic team, and we can do it… and I’m not just talking about those games either.”
By citing that 1-1 draw against Arsenal’s league leaders as evidence of Chelsea’s quality, alongside their Champions league success against Barcelona, Garnacho is sort of being a bit tongue in cheek yet also making it clear how tough a test Arsenal will be. It’s a bit of a funny slip-up really: even a hard-fought draw against the current top team in Europe is framed as proof Chelsea are good enough to beat the best.
Garnacho’s Personal Struggles Against the Gunners
Those words carry a bit more weight for Garnacho given his own record against Arsenal. Across 7 career appearances (most of them from his time at Manchester United before he joined Chelsea in 2025) Garnacho has only managed to beat them once – a 14% win rate – and hasn’t managed to find the net yet.
Chelsea as a team haven’t beaten Arsenal since August 2021, which is adding to the motivation for them all to turn the tide in the cup semi-finals.
Why This Semi-Final Matters
With Arsenal dominating at home and in Europe, Garnacho’s comments are a good indication of just how much respect the Blues have for this challenge. Chelsea see the Gunners as the benchmark and beating them in this cup tie would be an incredible statement.
Can Chelsea build on that resilience from the Premier league draw and pull off a major upset against the league leaders? Or will Arteta’s side show everyone why they’re on top? The Carabao Cup semi-final is going to be full of fireworks and I’m sure we’ll be talking about it for weeks to come!
Also Read: Arsenal Transfer News: Nine Players on the Club’s Radar as January Deadline Nears
Garnacho Makes Gunners Comparison That Accidentally Reveals How Chelsea Rate Arsenal