Arsenal corner flag
Arsenal corner flag
Group games get moved for television, for policing, and sometimes for nothing the club bothers to explain. The date stays. The clock changes.
Three points from two games is a recovery, not a qualification. The last group match is where the table gets settled.
South London in late October is a short trip. It is still the one that decides who goes through.
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Arsenal Under-21s will face AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Trophy at 6pm on Tuesday 27 October, after the club brought the kick-off forward. It is the third and final group game. The Gunners travel to Wimbledon.
David Horseman’s side lost the opener to Barnet, then produced their best display of the season to win 2-1 at Leyton Orient. That left them on three points. Barnet lead the group on goal difference. Orient have two points. Wimbledon have one.
Barnet play Wimbledon on Tuesday 6 October, the Dons’ second group match. If Barnet win, Arsenal would go into the last round in second. The top two in each group reach the last 32. After that the competition is a straight knockout.
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The earlier kick-off does not change the job. Win in south London and the group is in their hands even if Barnet have already taken six points. Draw, and goal difference and Orient’s result start to matter. Lose, and a side that has already been beaten by the group leaders is relying on other people’s slips.
Horseman has used the Trophy to give minutes to players who are also in England age-group squads. Andre Harriman-Annous came off the bench for his Under-20 debut in a 2-1 win over France this week. Max Dowman and Ife Ibrahim were involved in the Under-19s’ 2-1 win over Norway. Those caps do not pick the Wimbledon XI. They do explain why the fixture still matters on a night the first team will be elsewhere.
No reason has been given for the change from a later kick-off to 6pm. Tickets have not been detailed in the club note. Supporters who were planning around a 7pm or 7.45pm start now have an hour less.
The table is simple enough. Three points, second on goal difference, one game left, away. Beat Wimbledon at 6pm on 27 October and the last 32 is the next conversation. Anything less and Barnet’s head-to-head advantage becomes the story.
Mikel Merino Spain
Mikel Merino Spain