Having all but secured top spot in the Europa League and easing some of the pressure at Goodison Park, it was a pretty successful week for Arsene Wenger.
Not only did he pull off two much-needed results, the squads that were heavily rotated for both games managed to come away with next to no injury problems at all.
That means he’ll once again have an ability to throw some of the fringe players into a starting XI that will have to get past a Norwich City side who are playing in fifth gear right now.
Ultimately this will be a big test to see how far some of our youngsters have come following game time in the Europa League and see how much they want to keep their place.
The League Cup remains the only piece of domestic silverware that Wenger hasn’t lifted and these players will know they stand a good chance of being involved in every game in the competition should they get through.
And with this game being played 48 hours after the 5-2 victory over Everton, they’ll have to do it without the big names to come in and spare their blushes, making it all the more exciting!
Match Details
- Arsenal (5th in Premier League) vs. Norwich City (6th in Championship)
- Emirates Stadium
- Carabao Cup (fourth round)
- Tuesday 24th October – 7.45pm kick-off
- Not Televised
Team News
Wenger will be unable to welcome back a number of long-standing injured players who are now joining the list of ‘likely to return in November’ following the international break.
Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers are unavailable as they continue their rehabilitation, meaning another makeshift defence of experience and youth will be implemented.
David Ospina’s minor groin strain has left a gap in the market for Matt Macey, who could play following Petr Cech’s back-to-back involvement in the Europa and Premier League.
Francis Coquelin could make his second start since returning from a month out; the Frenchman managed to play 90 minutes on the trip to Belgrade last week.
Jack Wilshere picked up an assist during the 15 minutes he featured in his Premier League comeback, so Wenger may start him on the bench in order to rest him for the weekend test against Swansea.
Likely Line-Up
Goalkeeper: Matt Macey
Defence: Mathieu Debuchy, Mohamed Elneny, Rob Holding
Midfield: Reiss Nelson, Francis Coquelin, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Forwards: Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott
Striker: Olivier Giroud
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