Arsenal, Chelsea meet again in 2nd leg of EFL Cup
Arsenal and Chelsea will come together at the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final today.
The Gunners boast a 3-2 lead following the first leg meeting at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues now tasked with overturning the deficit.
Arsenal are enjoying a stunning 2025-26 campaign, with the Gunners still competing on all four fronts.
Mikel Arteta‘s side sit top of the Premier League, finished top of the Champions League league-phase table, are into the fourth round of the FA Cup and on course to secure a spot in the EFL Cup final.
Liam Rosenior was handed the managerial position at Chelsea following Enzo Maresca’s departure, and the new boss has started to win over the Blues fans after many were initially critical of his appointment.
Rosenior has guided the Blues to six wins from his first seven games across all competitions, with the sole defeat coming against Arsenal in the first leg.
Now, the visitors boast five consecutive victories heading into this encounter, including a superb success over Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to secure their place in the top eight of the Champions League standings.
The Blues built on that triumph with a thrilling comeback from 2-0 down at half time to beat West Ham United 3-2 in the Premier League at the weekend, featuring a 92nd-minute winner from Enzo Fernandez, meaning Chelsea will be full of confidence coming into this second leg.
However, the Blues will have to overcome their miserable recent record in this fixture, as they have failed to beat Arsenal in all of their last 10 clashes across all competitions, as well as suffering three straight defeats at the Emirates.
Although Chelsea will be confident given their recent results, Arsenal are a formidable force at home, leading us to expect a home victory.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
AC Milan visit mid-table Bologna in Serie A
Finishing off Serie A‘s 23rd matchday with a clash at Stadio Dall’Ara, title hopefuls AC Milan will visit mid-table Bologna Tuesday evening.
Last season’s Coppa Italia finalists are set to meet again, with Milan aiming to extend a long unbeaten streak and the hosts still seeking their first home win this year.
Milan may have dropped several points since the start of 2026, but they remain the closest challengers to city rivals Inter Milan in this season’s title race.
Last week, the Rossoneri almost repeated November’s home win over Roma, in which they scored against the run of play and relied on the goalkeeping of captain Mike Maignan to get over the line.
Milan’s only losses since August have come in knockout competitions, versus Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana and a Coppa Italia exit to Lazio.
Of course, the Rossoneri were beaten by Bologna in last season’s cup final, but they gained a measure of revenge in September, when Luka Modric scored his first Serie A goal to decide a close contest at San Siro.
While Milan have been far from fluent, they are putting together an unexpected title challenge, partly thanks to a fine away record: no defeats and just eight goals conceded so far.
By contrast, Bologna are showing the strain of increased expectation, and they have proved unusually vulnerable at Stadio Dall’Ara.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Marseille, Rennes clash in Coupe de France
The Orange Velodrome is set to be the backdrop for an all-Ligue 1 clash in the Coupe de France‘s round of 16 on Tuesday, when Marseille host Rennes.
Les Olympiens are looking for their 11th Coupe de France crown, while Les Rennais are dreaming of lifting the trophy for a fourth time.
After finishing runners-up in the league last season, Roberto De Zerbi‘s Marseille looked on course to challenge for the top-flight title once again, but their recent form has seen them slip away from leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
With that in mind, Les Olympiens’ best chance of silverware could be in the Coupe de France, where they started strongly by thrashing Bourg-Peronnas 6-0 before hammering sixth-tier Bayeux 9-0 in the round of 32 on January 13.
De Zerbi opted to play a number of first-team stars in that latest cup outing, but given that OM have already progressed further than in 2024-25 when they reached the round of 32, the boss could name an even stronger lineup on Tuesday.
However, Marseille come into this game in lacklustre form, having lost two, drawn one and won just one of their four most recent clashes across all competitions, not to mention that the hosts have tasted defeat in two of their last three on their own turf.
That being said, fans will head to the ground with some hope considering that Les Olympiens are on a four-match unbeaten streak domestically, winning three before their 2-2 stalemate with Paris FC on Saturday.
Rennes have also been lacklustre in 2026, but considering their resilience away from home, they could put up a fight, so expect to see a close-fought contest regardless of the result.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Albacete host Barca in Copa del Rey quarter-finals
Albacete Balompie will host Barcelona at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte on Tuesday evening in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, as the Segunda Division side look to continue their fairytale run in the competition.
The hosts come into the contest in strong form, while Barcelona arrive as overwhelming favourites and the most decorated club in Copa del Rey history.
Albacete head into this fixture unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, recording four wins and one draw during that run.
Their recent form has been a significant boost as they prepare for one of the biggest nights in the club’s modern history.
Currently sitting 12th in the Segunda Division, Alberto Gonzalez’s men have amassed 33 points from 24 matches, winning nine, drawing six and losing nine.
After exiting the Copa del Rey at the first hurdle last season with a 2-1 defeat to CE Europa, Albacete have shown notable progress this time around.
Their run to the quarter-finals has been highlighted by a dramatic victory over Real Madrid in the round of 16.
Albacete’s cup run has been remarkable, but Barcelona’s quality, depth and experience at this stage of the competition should prove decisive.
The hosts may threaten, but the reigning champions are expected to book their place in the semi-finals.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
