Arsenal begin their Carabao Cup campaign on Tuesday night, facing Nottingham Forest at The Emirates.
The Gunners have had a turbulent start to their Premier League campaign, squandering a 2-0 lead against Watford before narrowly overcoming newly promoted Aston Villa following a late free-kick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Currently sat in 4thplace with 11 points from six games, they are seven points behind league leaders Liverpool and only three points ahead of 12thplaced Crystal Palace.
With Unai Emery’s side remaining far off the quality of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool or Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, their chances at a trophy this season could well come down to the domestic cup competitions.
As such, the Carabao Cup clash on Tuesday offers a good chance for the Gunners to get off the mark, building up ahead of steam as they look to secure something for the trophy cabinet this year.
Team news ahead of Carabao Cup tie
Ahead of the match, Rob Holding is in contention for his first appearance back in the first-team since December. The 24-year-old has been side-lined with a severe knee injury since the tie against Manchester United last year but appears to be nearing a return to Unai Emery’s side after a succession of appearances for the Under-23s. His return would be a huge boost to Arsenal’s defensive ranks, which continue to look suspect when faced with extended periods of pressure.
Elsewhere, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is suspended after receiving his marching orders in Sunday’s win against Aston Villa, with Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney both likely to get some minutes under their belt in their continued rehabilitation from respective groin injuries.
Gunners set for defensive reinforcements as Emery rotates squad
Bellerin completed 62 minutes with the Under-23s against Wolves on Friday night alongside summer signing Tierney, with both full-backs likely to offer the club a monumental boost at both ends of the field.
Dinos Mavropanos could also play some part on Tuesday night, having returned to full training with the first-team. The defender completed the full ninety minutes against Wolves alongside his fellow teammates.
Alexandre Lacazette remains out, with Emery likely to rotate his side heavily before a crunch tie with Manchester United on Monday night.