Below is the Arsenal eleven that could face Reading tonight in the League Cup.
Goalkeeper: Damian Martinez
Arsenal are using their three goalkeepers this season. Petr Cech starts in the league, David Ospina in the Champions League and Martinez appears to have his spot in the English League Cup. Martinez is a talented young goalkeeper, but aged 24 he needs to make sure he is playing regularly now. For him to get games at Arsenal they need to remain in this competition. He has everything to prove.
RB: Carl Jenkinson
Back fit again, Arsenal need Jenkinson to get back to match fitness so there is cover for Hector Bellerin should be get injured. Jenkinson won’t have an easy ride against a very good Reading team though – this will be a real test for him.
CB: Gabriel Paulista
CB: Rob Holding
LB: Kieran Gibbs (c)
Captain Kieran. A chance to show Arsene that he still has what it takes to be playing in the first team, with Monreal not playing too well currently.
CM: Mohammed Elneny
CM: Gedion Zelalem
With Xhaka suspended, Cazorla and Ramsey injured and Coquelin starting two games already in less than a week after his injured, Wenger could deploy Zelalem as a central midfielder in this game. Gedion has a lot of potential, but injuries have restricted his first team opportunities. Now could be a chance for him to showcase his talent after a successful loan spell in Scotland.
RM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been widely criticised for his inconsistency and lack of an product – but he has impressed in spells this season. For his sake and to keep getting playing time at the club, he needs to deliver a good performance in this fixture.
AM: Jeff Rene-Adelaide
LM: Alex Iwobi
ST: Lucas Perez
It’s Lucas’ big chance. The Spaniard is likely to get only his third start in an Arsenal shirt on Tuesday night. He already has two goals and three assists, so we’ve seen what he can do – hopefully he makes the difference again against Reading.
Note from the bench… Olivier Giroud
It may be a bit optimistic to suggest that Giroud will start this game, but Arsene has said that Giroud will be involved in some capacity. The Gunners have been scoring for fun without Olivier in the squad, but against Middlesbrough they obviously missed that focal point in attack and it would have been very useful to have him on the bench. Personally I’m very happy he is back.