Arsenal face Blackpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, looking to get back to winning ways after a frustrating draw against Crystal Palace.
It’s time for the round-of-16 in the League Cup, and Unai Emery’s side will take on lower league opposition once again. After Manchester United and Liverpool went out in the last round, this competition is already looking a bit more enticing, particularly as Manchester City and Spurs have Premier League ties right after playing each other on Monday.
With Chelsea taking on Frank Lampard’s Derby as well, who knocked United out last time around, who knows which of the big-six clubs will still be in the competition by Friday morning?
Emery will also be trying to build some confidence ahead of the Liverpool match this weekend. As a result, we expect Arsenal to start a strong side against Blackpool, whilst also rotating as much as possible.
Let’s have a look at our predicted lineup.
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Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny and Matteo Guendouzi are the obvious choices here, until you learn that Elneny is injured and out for two weeks.
The trio are starting to become a staple of Arsenal’s Europa League/League Cup team, allowing Mesut Özil, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira to be rested for the league games. Of course, Xhaka probably won’t get a rest on this occasion anyway, given the defensive issues and Torreira is likely to come in for ELneny unless Emery opts for youth.
Joe Willock started the season in good form, and he was given League Cup chances last campaign under Arsene Wenger. However, it appears he’s picked up an injury, as he hasn’t taken part in Arsenal’s recent u23 matches.
Click ‘Next’ for Forwards and our Full Predicted Starting XI