Alvaro Morata and Cesc Fabregas ruled out for Arsenal vs Chelsea but Andreas Christensen passed fit

Alvaro Morata and Cesc Fabregas will miss the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg decider against Arsenal on Wednesday [24 January] due to injuries but Antonio Conte has confirmed that he will be able to call upon the services of Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen.

Morata sat out the weekend's 4-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion through suspension after being sent off during the last week's penalty shoot-out win over Norwich City in the FA Cup third round.

Meanwhile, Fabregas has been out of action since the goalless draw against Leicester City on 13 January due to a hamstring injury.

And the Chelsea boss has revealed that both Spanish players will also be unavailable to face Arsenal on Wednesday with the former Real Madrid striker having picked up a back injury.

"Morata and Fabregas are out, they are not available for the Arsenal game. He [Morata] has a problem in his back, he's injured," the Chelsea boss said in the press conference ahead of the trip to Arsenal.

"I have to check a couple of other situations in order to make the best decision but for sure they are out."

Christensen's availability for the second leg against Arsenal also came under question after the defender was replaced by David Luiz in the 58<sup>th minute of the game against Brighton following a clash of heads with Shake Duffy.

Conte said at the time that he expected to have the Denmark international available to face Arsenal after pointing out that he had a contusion rather than a concussion.

And pressed again about the fitness of the Chelsea centre-back ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium, Conte reiterated: "He is fit. He trained with us and is fit."

Michy Batshuayi was handed a rare start for the impressive win at Brighton as Conte opted to use a 3-4-3 formation with the Belgium international partnering Eden Hazard and Willian in the attack.

But the Italian boss refused to confirm whether he will keep his faith in the same players when the Blues visit Arsenal in search of place in next month's first showcase final of the season.

"I have another night before I decide the starting 11, Every game is different, you change the quality of your opponent and you must be intelligent enough to understand if you should continue with the same players or make some changes," Conte said.

"For sure there is a target for both teams, to reach the final of the competition. That's a good target for us and Arsenal, and for this reason I think after a 0-0 [in the first leg] the game will be very open.

"For myself, our players and fans it's an important target. In my first one-and-a-half seasons I have the opportunity to win the league, play the FA Cup final, Community Shield and the Carabao Cup final. But to reach the final we have to play against Arsenal, which is always a big challenge and a big game, they want to go to the final in the same way as we do."