5 reasons why Chelsea will destroy Arsenal at Stamford Bridge

January is here and the business end of the season is fast approaching. The semi-finals of the League Cup promises an enthralling encounter between Chelsea and Arsenal over two legs, the first of which is to be played at Stamford Bridge this Wednesday.

This is the second of 3 encounters between the two sides this month, with the previous one a couple of days back ending in a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Both sides will look to improve upon that showing. Their performances in the FA Cup last weekend were dismal with Chelsea just earning a draw at Norwich while Arsenal got knocked out by 10 men Nottingham Forest.

The League Cup presents both teams with a shot at silverware with Chelsea seeming the likelier one of the two to be victorious.

We break down 5 reasons why Chelsea will not only win the tie but also absolutely destroy Arsenal in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

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#5 Arsenal's predictable season going the same way as every other one

Arsene Wenger is under severe pressure

We have all seen this before. January comes rolling in and Arsenal's season goes tumbling down. Arsenal produced the worst ever defence of the FA Cup last weekend and come into this match under immense pressure both on the manager and the players.

It has been proved time and again that this Arsenal team does not have the mental strength to cope with that pressure and it can be easily expected of them to bottle it on Wednesday.

Wenger himself aimed his rant at his players post-match last weekend and it is fairly certain to everyone from the outside that all is not well at the club.

#4 Alvaro Morata will be raring to prove his critics wrong

Morata will be looking to make amends against Arsenal

Alvaro Morata has been impressive for Chelsea this season with 10 goals in the Premier League. He came under heavy criticism for his display at Arsenal the other night and it was rightly justified. He missed 3 glorious one-on-one opportunities and should have had a hat-trick.

It would be more worrying for Antonio Conte if Morata was not getting the chances. His movement was fantastic and it is fairly certain that he will not miss as much as he missed at the Emirates anytime soon.

Come Wednesday, he will be raring to go and make amends. He has already proved that he can make opportunities out of nothing and there is no doubt he will make a positive impact in the first leg of the League Cup.

#3 Arsenal's defensive crisis

Mustafi will have to guide his inexperienced defensive partners

Arsenal are expected to be without Granit Xhaka, who has a groin strain. Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey are doubts while Sead Kolasniac, Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla are long-term absentees.

Arsenal's expected back-line of Mustafi, Chambers and Holding is inexperienced and suspect to costly errors. Holding had a nightmare against Nottingham Forest and Mertesacker is too slow to be effective against Chelsea.

Wenger is short of reliable cover for his defence and it will prove fatal when they visit Stamford Bridge.

#2 The Alexis Sanchez saga has divided the Arsenal dressing room

Sanchez might be a City player by the end of the winter transfer window

Arsenal are reportedly in negotiations with Manchester City for the transfer of Alexis Sanchez and it is possible that he will be plying his trade in Manchester come end of January.

According to various reports, the Chilean was involved in a couple of dressing room bust-ups last month and his relationship with some of his team-mates is at an all-time low which was highlighted when he was only joined by four of his team-mates to celebrate his goal against Crystal Palace.

He is still arguably their best player and his absence will only benefit Antonio Conte's men. Sanchez and Ozil are the only two world-class players at Arsenal and missing one in a match as important as the one against Chelsea will prove to be detrimental to them.

#1 Hazard is rested and ready to go

Hazard will be fresh and ready to wreak havoc

Eden Hazard was rested in the match against Norwich with Antonio Conte deciding against naming him in the matchday squad itself. He will be fresh and raring to go against the Gunners.

He has been Chelsea's main creative force for some seasons now and when he is on song, Chelsea dominate their opponents.

He has already had some stellar performances against Arsenal in his Chelsea career and the first leg against Arsenal provides him with the perfect opportunity to stake his claim as the best player in the English top flight.