SETTABLOID

Arsenal travel to Deepdale for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie versus Preston North End.

They have picked up just one point from their Premier League games against Bournemouth and Liverpool.

Their only win has come against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, but the performance was uninspiring.

Manager Mikel Arteta is likely to ring in the changes tomorrow, but will be expecting a strong display.

Predicted Line-up:

Neto is ineligible to play for the Gunners as he is Cup-tied. Arteta could hand a debut to 18-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford with David Raya likely to be rested.

We anticipate a complete change of the backline from the 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes picked up knocks at the weekend and they are unlikely to be risked. Thomas Partey may not start back-to-back games due to his injury record.

Ben White is also likely to be rested, having only recently recovered from a knee problem.

Young graduates Josh Nichols and Myles Lewis-Skelly could start in the right and left-back positions.

William Saliba is available after his domestic ban and he could partner Jakub Kiwior in central defence.

In central midfield, Jorginho could be accompanied by Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has not seen any playing time since his return from injury. The Ukrainian has played in the role for his country.

Mikel Merino and Declan Rice could be kept fresh for Saturday’s league trip to Newcastle United.

Further forward, Arteta could rest Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard. Saka has just recovered from a hamstring injury and could feature off the bench against Preston if required.

Ethan Nwaneri bagged a brilliant brace against Bolton Wanderers in the last round of the competition. The 17-year-old wonderkid should start from the number 10 position tomorrow.

Gabriel Jesus is likely to lead the attack with Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Martinelli on the right and left wing. Martinelli needs to step up after a poor outing versus Liverpool last time around.

How Arsenal could line up vs Preston

Mikel Arteta has said that he will keep the opposition guessing with vague team news updates.

The Spaniard came in for criticism after stirring up doubt over the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber heading into Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool only for both players to start the game – with Saka scoring the opener. The approach was very much on brand for Arteta, who likes to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to injury news. This is something that’s unlikely to change in the future.

It was a tale of three former Arsenal players during a tightly-contested Premier League clash over the weekend.

One who scored a superb solo goal. One who made a massive difference when stepping off the bench. And another who’s eye-watering price-tag is threatening to get heavier by the week, the most expensive of the ex-Gunners trio also the most ineffective.

Arsenal take on Preston North End in the Carabao Cup fourth round looking to get back to winning ways after grabbing just one win in the last three matches. The Gunners have failed to go further than this stage in their previous two attempts, having been knocked out by Brighton and West Ham in the past two seasons.

Preston, their opponents, are not having the best of seasons in the Championship. Just three wins from the opening 12 games, having conceded 17 goals, will give Mikel Arteta perhaps some encouragement to rotate his squad.

Changes are important, especially with a trip to St James’ Park coming this weekend, and Arsenal are in short supply of depth. That said, there can be a serious number of switch-ins for the midweek clash.

I would like to see Oleksandr Zinchenko finally start a game and offer Arsenal some more progression considering the dip in creativity since Martin Odegaard’s injury. Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri can also enter the midfield with the consistent Declan Rice offering the starting quality.

After turning to a youthful side for the Carabao Cup third round tie at home to League One outfit Bolton Wanderers last month, Mikel Arteta may well find himself in a similar situation on Wednesday. This time travelling away, Arsenal face Championship opposition in Preston North End.

As Arteta looks to win just his second piece of major silverware at the club, the League Cup takes on added importance. Arsenal’s hopes of progressing are being put to the test, though, even with talented academy players to turn to.

Stars such as Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes are highly likely to have been rested anyway for the game but Arteta may well find the decision taken out of his hands. Along with Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, there are a number of serious doubts for the game.

Gabriel went down after a challenge from Darwin Nunez against Liverpool. The back of his left knee was hit and despite trying to play on, Arteta had to sub him off shortly after. The Brazilian was spotted with a large ice pack over his knee when sat on the bench.

Gabriel underwent medical assessments after being forced off in the 54th minute of the match, having initially attempted to continue playing following a clash with Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez.

The Brazilian centre back is likely to miss the Carabao Cup fixture against Preston North End but could return soon, potentially in time for key upcoming clashes against Newcastle United and Inter Milan.

Arsenal will be without Riccardo Calafiori, who is sidelined due to a knee injury picked up during the Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, while Jurrien Timber was substituted after cramping up on Sunday, as he continues his return from a long-term knee injury.

Midfielder Martin Ødegaard is also unlikely to feature in the near future after missing 10 matches with an ankle problem, but there was good news on his recovery, too.

With Arsenal facing a packed fixture list, including upcoming games against Inter Milan and Chelsea before the international break, Mikel Arteta will be eager to have Gabriel back as soon as possible.

Ruben Amorim’s proposed switch to Manchester United could have a major effect on Arsenal’s move for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres. United are looking to appoint Amorim as their replacement for Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked following a poor start to the season.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Amorim has agreed in principle to become the next United manager, with a compensation package now being settled on between the two clubs. Should Amorim take over, speculation will be centred around transfer targets and he could bring some of his set-to-be former Sporting players to United.

Mikel Merino played a key role in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening. His goal gave the Gunners their second lead of the game and came close to being the winning strike, only stopped by Mohamed Salah’s second-half equaliser.

Merino made his first Premier League home start in the game and that resulted in his first goal for the club as well. It gave the Gunners the lead on the day and at the time, closed the gap to Liverpool to just one point.

However, it was not to be, and Salah’s goal would reopen that gap instead to four which Arsenal now have to surmount in the coming weeks and months. The players need to overcome this disappointment first and based on the first-half performance, the Gunners looked close to being back to their usual selves after some disappointing games and poor results.

Bukayo Saka broke yet another Arsenal club record on Sunday as the Gunners twice lost the lead before ultimately drawing 2-2 with Arne Slot’s Liverpool side in a huge Premier League game between the two sides.

Saka scored the opening goal for Arsenal with an exceptional effort in the ninth minute after beating Andrew Robertson in the penalty area and dispatching an inch-perfect shot to beat Caoimhin Kelleher at his near post.

Despite still not being fully fit, Saka put in a simply sublime performance against Liverpool, as he continued his excellent start to the season, where he has four goals and seven assists in 11 appearances in all competitions – once again reminding the world of his immense quality.

As well as playing a pivotal role for his side against Slot’s high-flying Reds, a game where Saka terrorised Robertson, the 23-year-old England international also entered his name into the history books of Arsenal (again), as he broke yet another record.

His goal against Liverpool was his 50th in the Premier League for Arsenal, which makes him the youngest player to hit a half-century of Premier League goals for the club since Thierry Henry did so – with Saka netting his 50th aged 23 years and 52 days.

For the most part, Arsenal players, staff, and fans were left disappointed by Sunday’s draw against Liverpool.

The Gunners were by far the better team in the first half, and they had the lead at the half-time break. But their performance levels dipped in the second period, and two injuries and a late equaliser made it a frustrating evening.

Looking at the positives, however, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pointed to the performance of summer signing Mikel Merino, who scored the hosts’ second goal of the contest.

As well as scoring a well-placed header, Merino made three tackles and an interception to help break up Liverpool’s possession.

There was one nervous moment where he miscontrolled a pass, allowing Mohamed Salah to take a shot from distance. But that was early on, and the midfielder definitely improved after that.

As Arteta highlights, this was Merino’s first 90-minute match since June, when he played the full game as Spain beat Albania at Euro 2024.

With any luck, the 28-year-old will be able to find his rhythm now, bolstered by the return of new midfield teammate Martin Odegaard in the coming weeks.