Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey faces fitness test before Chelsea Carabao Cup semi-final decider

Arsenal could welcome back Aaron Ramsey for Wednesday's (24 January) final instalment of the January triple-header against Chelsea, although Arsene Wenger may still be without four senior players for the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg decider at the Emirates Stadium.

Welsh midfielder Ramsey came off the bench to make his first appearance for more than a month during the disappointing Premier League defeat to Bournemouth on 14 January, only to miss the subsequent 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace due to illness.

A fitness test set to be undertaken on Tuesday will decide his availability for the visit of Chelsea, but Nacho Monreal is a doubt for the tie after injuring his hamstring on Saturday.

The reliable Spanish defender scored and provided two assists during an early blitz of Roy Hodgson's side before being replaced in the 34th-minute by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in what Wenger subsequently labelled as a precautionary measure.

The high-profile midweek clash will also come too soon for Danny Welbeck, who also sat out the win against Palace with a muscular issue. Likewise Olivier Giroud, who could yet join Borussia Dortmund as part of the deal to bring fellow striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to north London.

The French international has been absent for five weeks with a hamstring issue suffered in the quarter-final defeat of West Ham United.

"We might have Ramsey back in the squad," Wenger, who remains without long-term absentee Santi Cazorla, told reporters at his pre-Chelsea press conference. "He has a test today.

"We have uncertainty about Nacho Monreal. Giroud and Welbeck are a fraction short."

Alexis Sanchez finally completed his transfer to Manchester United on Monday evening and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the player Arsenal took back in a straight swap deal, will have to wait until the top-flight trip to Swansea City on 30 January to make his Gunners debut as his previous involvement in the competition for Jose Mourinho's side means he is cup-tied.

Asked if his new signing will come straight into the starting lineup when available, Wenger replied: "It depends on the team's performance. His performance in training as well."

Arsenal's semi-final tie with Chelsea, which, along with the final itself, is being used as part of English football's trial of the divisive video assistant referee (VAR) system, is finely poised after a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.

That first-leg encounter lacked all the spark and excitement of a thrilling 2-2 league draw between the two London rivals at the start of the month, though Wenger is evidently expecting a far more entertaining contest tomorrow as he seeks to make the final of the only major domestic competition he has never won during his 22-year stint in charge of Arsenal.

"We want to go to the final, the two teams know each other very well," he added. "The second leg will be more open. It should be much more spectacular than the first one."

Two-time winners in 1987 and 1993, Arsenal have lost five League Cup finals in total - more than anyone else in history - including against Chelsea in 2007 and Birmingham City four years later.