Chelsea manager Liam Roniol spoke to the media ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
Here are the highlights from his press conference:
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Moises Caicedo is suspended and decisions on Cole Palmer, Marlo Gusteau and Reece James will be made on Wednesday morning. Ronniol said the three were uninjured but “are being managed” because there was “no reason to risk the players’ health” when there are other options.
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He said “the lads trained well” at Cobham on Monday morning and there were no new injury concerns ahead of the semi-final first leg.
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On rivals Arsenal: “They are very well organized in all aspects of the game. From the moment I entered the building we have been working on Arsenal tactically – including set-pieces, which they are very good at. Arsenal are good at everything. I respect them and I think they will respect us.”
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He said Chelsea “caused problems” for the Gunners when they held them to a draw in November and “they want to do the same” on Wednesday.
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More on how they approach the game: “If you’re not willing to do the basics, it’s hard to win. We need a really good game, but I’m confident because they’re hungry and believe in themselves.”
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On whether this is the most important game of his coaching career: “People will look at it that way, but I don’t look at it that way. I live in the moment. This is the most important game because it’s the next one. That keeps me calm. I’m not going to make it bigger than the next game and we have to win.”
Listen to live commentary from Chelsea vs Arsenal on Wednesday from 20:00 on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds
Follow Monday’s Carabao Cup press conference and the rest of the day’s football news
