Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace side travel to the Emirates on Wednesday evening to face Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Arsenal last reached the semi-finals in 2022 where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool over two legs. They last tasted success in the competition in 1993 where they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 thanks to a goal and assist from Paul Merson.
Arteta will see this as a great opportunity to add silverware to the cabinet with only a single FA Cup victory in his tenure as Arsenal Manager. With Manchester City also out of the competition there may not be a better time to go all out to win it.
Victory for the Eagles will see them reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since January 2012 where they faced Cardiff and ultimately lost the match over two legs. After winning the game at Selhurst 1-0 the Welsh side responded in the second leg with a 1-0 victory themselves, before going on to win 3-1 on penalties.
Palace got to the semi-finals that year after beating Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford, with Darren Ambrose scoring from around 40-yard out.
In the twelve years that have passed a lot has changed for Palace, they are now a Premier League team and have been for eleven seasons. They have however, not reached this stage of the competition since then, victory at the Emirates changes that though and this time, Palace are a lot better poised to go further.
Whatever happens, this tie in North London may end up being a classic cup match with both teams going all out to win it.
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Team News
Many people asked questions of Arteta's decision to sub off both Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard during Arsenal's home draw with Everton over the weekend. The manger said that his captain was withdrawn due to tactical reasons whereas Rice had asked to be substituted due to a niggle, so a midweek rest is likely.
Defensive pairing Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko were both absent from the squad at the weekend, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still out with long term injuries. Neto is also cup tied meaning a start for David Raya is more than likely.
With the congested fixture schedule approaching during the festive period fringe players such as Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Jorginho and Jakub Kiwior could all gain valuable minutes if Arteta is to rotate his squad.
Scottish left back Kieran Tierney may also benefit form this game and pick up his first minutes of the season after returning from injury. He has been on the bench in the last six games and Wednesday could be the perfect opportunity to build his fitness.
Oliver Glasner will be without Colombian right wing-back Daniel Munoz who is suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the competition so far.
The question is who does the Austrian pick to start in place of Munoz, the most likely candidate would be Nathaniel Clyne but there could be an opportunity for 18-year-old Caleb Kporha. Clyne would be the safer option but Kporha, who has been praised by his manager this season, would relish the chance to get his first start for Palace at the Emirates.
Adam Wharton has been confirmed to miss out after a minor setback when returning to training. Chadi Riad has also seen his knee injury re-aggravated after featuring for the under 21s.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was withdrawn after 60 minutes during the game with Brighton and looked to have heavy strapping around his hamstring, meaning a start for Eddie Nketiah could be on the cards against his former side.
Joel Ward also missed the game at the weekend due to a calf injury while Matheus Franca is till working his way back from a long-term injury.
Former Arsenal man Rob Holding remains absent from the squad after being frozen out by Glasner.
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Potential Lineups
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Nwaneri, Jorginho, Merino; Saka, Jesus, Sterling
Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Kporha, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Nketiah
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Key Players
Arsenal - Ethan Nwaneri
This competition has been where Ethan Nwaneri has been given the most trust from his manager. The teenage midfielder has scored three goals in the past two rounds with the pick of the bunch coming against Preston North End last time out.
If he is to be given the nod again by Arteta then it may come at the expense of captain Martin Odegaard who plays in a similar position to Nwaneri. Operating in the right half space and given the license to roam while linking up with Bukayo Saka is what the England youth international does best.
In recent weeks there has been more faith shown in Nwaneri with Arteta calling upon his teenage sensation at earlier points in games. He was given half an hour against Everton as well as 15 minute cameos against both Fulham and AS Monaco.
The talent is there for all to see but he is not the finished article yet. Still only 17-years-old it would be a big step for Arteta to start him on Wednesday given the significance of the game, but pressure makes diamonds and that is exactly what Nwaneri can become if given the chance.
It has been a slow start to life for Ismaila Sarr in South London, with the former Watford man coming in as one of the replacements for the outgoing Michael Olise in the summer.
Over the weekend, the Senegalese international put his name in Palace folklore after scoring two against Brighton in their own backyard to secure a 3-1 win over the Eagles' biggest rivals.
It is not a big surprise to see Sarr contributing. There have been signs in recent weeks that he is finally adapting to what is being asked of him in Glasner's system. His first Palace goal came in the 2-2 draw away to Aston Villa where he played a similar role to which he did at the weekend.
He was used as a split sticker alongside Mateta and uses his blistering pace to get in behind. It has been his finishing which has let him down in his Palace career to date, during the draw against Wolves he missed two great opportunities to put the game to bed but missed the target.
When the chances came his way against Brighton however he took them with ease, which may just be the boost of confidence the forward needed, and Sarr can now push on for the rest of the season.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match will be played at the Emirates Stadium.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 19.30 GMT on Wednesday, 18th December 2024.
How can I watch?
The game will be live on Sky Sports Main Event from 19:00 GMT.
