Arsenal make their way to Championship outfit Preston North End in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Deepdale Stadium on Wednesday night. Fresh off a 5-1 thrashing of Bolton in the previous round, Mikel Arteta’s squad is set to field a youthful lineup, with a number of standout Hale End academy players likely to feature.
The Gunners are keen to get back to winning ways after Sunday’s dramatic 2-2 draw in the Premier League with Liverpool, a match that left everyone in mixed emotions. Although Arsenal’s form in domestic cups under Arteta has been poor lately, their chances of progressing to the quarterfinals look strong against a mid-table Championship opponent.
Yet, Preston won’t go down without a fight. Paul Heckingbottom’s side sit 16th in the Championship and pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the third round by beating Fulham in a marathon penalty shootout, prevailing 16-15. While they are unbeaten in five, Preston’s most recent 3-3 draw with Plymouth – when two goals ahead and 3-0 up – exposed some frailties at the back that Arsenal will be seeking to exploit.
Match Details
Kick-Off: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Time: 19:45 BST
Venue: Deepdale Stadium, Preston
Referee: Peter Bankes
TV: UK – Sky Sports+, USA – Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, Canada – DAZN
Head-to-Head Record
The two historic clubs hardly met each other in the last several decades. The last time they faced each other in a competitive match was seven years ago, when Arsenal won 2-1 in the FA Cup third round.
Team News
Preston’s team selection could well be hampered by a number of injuries. Central midfielder Robbie Brady limped out with an ankle injury against Plymouth and joins an already lengthy injury list including Ched Evans, Patrick Bauer and Will Keane. A suspension to top striker Milutin Osmajici also continues to be served, after the forward bit an opponent – an eight-game ban being the result.
Expected Lineups
Predicted Preston Lineup: Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Hughes, Lindsay, Storey, Potts; Whiteman, Frokjaer-Jensen, Ledson; Greenwood, Riis.
Gabriel and Jurrien Timber will also be on the bench for Arsenal but are not far away from returning to the pitch. Finally, some rest will be given to Bukayo Saka, and ankle-injured Martin Odegaard will also miss this outing. Ethan Nwaneri, with growing talent, will look to play in place of missing stars in midfield.
Injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori and Kieran Tierney mean Arteta will look to a mix of youth and experience as players like Lewis-Skelly are expected to see minutes.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup: Raya; Nichols, White, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Jorginho, Nwaneri, Rice; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli.
Prediction
With Arteta likely to ring some changes, Arsenal’s youngsters have a rare chance to strut their stuff at Deepdale. Though the Gunners are sometimes guilty of slipping up in these types of games, defensive slip-ups in Preston’s last two outings open the door for Arsenal’s attack to be too much.
Score Prediction: Preston 0-2 Arsenal