Given that the opposition is Chelsea, rather than a lower league side, you could be forgiven for thinking that Arsene Wenger will want to name as strong a side as possible for next week’s Capital One Cup encounter at Emirates Stadium.
However, even against stellar opposition, the Frenchman has always been keen to use this competition to provide some of the club’s most talented young players with first-team experience. Several youngsters were involved in the dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over West Bromwich Albion in the last round and they, along with a clutch of other starlets, will hope to be named in the squad for Tuesday’s game against Jose Mourinho’s side.
Wenger must decide how many of his senior players he is going to deploy given that Arsenal find themselves in the midst of a hectic schedule of fixtures. The likes of Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal, Tomas Rosicky, Serge Gnabry, Ryo and Nicklas Bendtner are all likely to start, but, given the opposition, Wenger may also deploy some of his regulars, particularly in defence.
There will still be some spaces available for youngsters, however, and midfielder Gedion Zelalem, who returned to full training this week after a spell on the sidelines, could be amongst them. The German youngster would become the second-youngest player to play for the club if he features on Tuesday, and, given how highly he is regarded at Emirates Stadium, it would not be surprising if the 16 year old is involved at some stage.
Thomas Eisfeld, who scored against West Brom in the last round, will be hopeful of at least making the bench, whilst Isaac Hayden, Kristoffer Olsson and Hector Bellerin are also likely to receive call-ups. Midfielder Jon Toral is available again, but, having not played since January because of injury, is still some way short of match practice.
Nico Yennaris, meanwhile, will be seeking to work his way back into the first-team fold following his recent injury problems and striker Chuba Akpom, who was sent off as the U19s drew with Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Youth League this week, is also set for a call-up.
The likes of Austin Lipman and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, have impressed at youth level in recent weeks, but will most likely have to wait for their chance given the stern competition for places at present.
