Arsenal will make the trip to take on Preston North End in the EFL Cup round of 16, and Mikel Arteta will target a place in the quarter-finals.
Preston North End were flying at the weekend until the point where their game against Plymouth took a nosedive, with Arsenal up next for them. Sam Greenwood’s early opener was the right way to start the game from Paul Heckingbottom’s perspective. Then Mads Frokjaer-Jensen doubling the lead in first-half injury time only seemed deserved, and then Brad Potts’s early goal in the second half appeared to have bagged the three points for Preston.
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth had other plans, as they ensured they were back in the game with a 55th-minute strike from Frederick Habib Issaka. After that, they fought hard to stay in contention, as an 82nd-minute strike from Andre Gray and then an injury-time equaliser from Morgan Whittaker undid Preston. Giving away a three-goal lead would have been demoralising for Heckingbottom.
Preston are now tasked with getting a win against Arsenal to keep their fight in the EFL Cup alive, although not many will feel optimistic about this task. They did manage to get past another Premier League team in Fulham in the previous round, albeit via a penalty shootout, as Heckingbottom will be hoping for miracles to overcome an otherwise formidable Gunners outfit.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are coming off a few indifferent results, considering how high the standards are under Mikel Arteta. The weekend before last, the Gunners suffered their first loss in all competitions against Bournemouth, albeit being down to ten men.
They followed that up with a nervy 1-0 win at home in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk and a 2-2 home draw to Liverpool. Arsenal were without William Saliba for that weekend encounter against Arne Slot’s Reds, yet they dominated the game for most parts even without more players missing from action.
Arteta will have been happy with the result despite the late refereeing controversy, which followed a few questionable decisions throughout the game. Now, the manager can shift his focus on the cup competition and will target a place in the quarterfinals at the expense of Championship strugglers Preston North End.
Team News & Tactics
Preston North End
Preston North End have a few problems on the injury front. Robbie Brady twisted his ankle in the draw with Plymouth Argyle and will not be expected to make it for the Arsenal game. They already have Ched Evans, Patrick Bauer, and Will Keane missing from action.
Striker Milutin Osmajic is also unavailable due to an eight-match ban for biting an opposition player. On the positive side, Josh Bowler might return from his recent illness to play a part in the game as an alternative to the injured Brady.
Paul Heckingbottom will stick with a back three and rely on the wing-backs providing the threat and width in his attacking third. Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Brad Potts are those players in the wide areas, while Preston’s back three will consist of Andrew Hughes, Liam Lindsay and Jordan Storey. Mads Frokjaer-Jensen will set at the base of the midfield, with Benjamin Whiteman and Ryan Ledson on either side.
Up front, Bowler is an option to play alongside Sam Greenwood, although Heckingbottom should feel he still needs time to recover completely from his recent illness so that Emil Riis Jakobsen can be an option there.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Woodman; Hughes, Lindsay, Storey; Kesler-Hayden, Whiteman, Frokjaer-Jensen; Ledson; Potts; Rils, Greenwood
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s injury problems continued from the weekend’s clash with Liverpool, as Gabriel Magalhaes hobbled off with a knee injury. The issues at the back continued further as Jurrien Timber also left the pitch, although his troubles were not considered severe, unlike the Brazilian’s.
Arsenal already have Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyuasu nursing knee problems, while Kieran Tierney is also out for the time being. Oleksandr Zinchenko has returned from recent fitness troubles and was an unused substitute against Liverpool.
William Saliba returns for Arsenal following his suspension, although Arteta will be asked questions if he chooses to start him against Preston North End. The Spaniard could potentially call up Ayden Heaven for his first start in the senior squad and partner him alongside Jakub Kiwior at the heart of the defence. Myles Lewis-Skelly is pencilled in for the left-back slot, while Josh Nichols could be given a rare outing on the right.
Arsenal also have a goalkeeping problem with Neto, who is currently cup-tied, meaning this game could result in a debut for Tommy Setford. In the attack, Ethan Nwaneri will likely get a start in attacking midfield, while Jorginho could come in alongside Mikel Merino in central midfield. Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling could get a run out in the attacking third, while Gabriel Martinelli is expected to keep his place on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Setford; Nichols, Heaven, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Nwaneri, Jorginho, Merino; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli
Key Stats
- Wednesday’s clash will be the first time Preston North End and Arsenal will face each other since their FA Cup clash in January 2017, also at the Deepdale in the third round. Preston scored first but went on to lose 2-1 to the Gunners.
- Arsenal have faced Preston in the League Cup just once previously, which also ended in a 2-1 win at Highbury in October 1999.
- Preston North End are unbeaten in five games heading into Wednesday’s encounter.
- Arsenal have not won the EFL Cup in 31 years. However, the Gunners have lost only one game in all competitions this season.
- Arsenal have won all 11 of their League Cup matches against sides from outside the Premier League by an aggregate score of 38-5 since losing 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015.
Player to Watch
Ethan Nwaneri
Mikel Arteta has trusted two youngsters, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, this season, and their involvement in certain games shows their importance to the squad. The arsenal boss recently confirmed they are full-time members of the first-team squad now, and things will only get better for the academy graduates.
Sticking with Nwaneri, he took the chance afforded by Arteta in the previous round of the EFL Cup and scored twice against Bolton Wanderers. Arteta will hope for a similar performance this time around against Preston North End, as another big display will only improve the youngster’s confidence. Hence, he will be the player to be watched in this midweek encounter.
Prediction
Preston North End 1-4 Arsenal
The Gunners are likely to come into Wednesday’s clash with a depleted backline, which could open up the goal for Preston North End to trouble their Premier League opponents occasionally. However, whether Preston have what it takes to register a famous victory over Arsenal remains the question, and the answer is probably no.
While the Gunners are likely to field a makeshift defence, their midfield and attacking lineup will prove enough for a big victory over the Championship side. Arsenal are expected to score plenty and probably concede one at some stage, and they are the favourites to make it to the quarter-finals.
