The League Cup clash against Crystal Palace should be a chance for Kieran Tierney to start, as Arsenal are expected to make changes.
Arsenal take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, as Mikel Arteta will be expected to name a strong enough team to contain the Eagles. Nonetheless, the Gunners boss, has the necessary depth to rest many of his Premier League regulars, as this game could be a chance for some fringe stars to impress.
During the pre-match press conference, Arteta did speak about injury updates as well as the need to have balance when it comes to his team selection. There is the need for the latter and get the blood flowing in some of the legs that have not played much this season, including a certain Kieran Tierney.
Starting with injury updates Arteta allayed fears about Declan Rice and insisted the midfielder was fine, but he will assess his fitness before deciding for Wednesday. He did confirm that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori are out of the contest without giving a timeline on their returns.
On Rice and other injured stars, Arteta said, “He’s fine (Rice), we’ll make the decision now whether he’s available or not. Alex and Richy will be out of the squad for tomorrow.”
Arteta also kept a tight lid on whether he will make changes and said, “We’ll decide that in the morning in relation to how the squad is, obviously the relevance of the match and where we are in the quarterfinals, it becomes a very important match. We’ll decide the best team to win it.”
The manager emphasised the need to bring balance through selection. He insisted, “We have managed the squad in the best possible way to make sure everybody is fit and available, feels part of it and is ready when the team needs them. If we have to make changes, I’m sure that the boys who come in will have that and others will have to play as well because of the numbers.”
With the players Arteta has at his disposal, he will still have to manage the fitness of some key stars who have suffered minor problems lately. For instance, Gabriel Magalhaes might be rested for the game, as Jakub Kiwior is the likely choice to replace the Brazilian.
There is a visible problem in the left-back area with Zinchenko and Calafiori out. But Myles Lewis-Skelly has impressed when called upon, as he features in Arteta’s current plan. Hence, Kieran Tierney, while training regularly, should get his chance to play a game, and this could be the one. Arteta is unlikely to replace David Raya, William Saliba or Jurrien Timber, although Thomas Partey is an option.
Jorginho is certain to start at the base of the midfield, with Rice likely to get a complete rest. Mikel Merino will feature on the left-hand side, while Ethan Nwaneri might replace Martin Odegaard in the final midfield berth. Gabriel Martinelli might retain his place on the left in a bid to build form, while Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling are expected to start.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Nwaneri, Jorginho, Merino; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli