Arsenal would be locking horns with Blackpool in their next match in the Football League Cup in a midweek fixture. The Gunners are coming off a hard-fought draw against Crystal Palace where their goals were cancelled out by two penalties by Luka Milivojevic. Unai Emery’s men would be determined to qualify for the next round without suffering any needless injury before their match against Liverpool next weekend.
Team News
Hector Bellerin picked up a muscle injury during the match against the Eagles. He joins the injury list with Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac and might not be considered for the midweek fixture.
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno is set to make his first appearance in the League Cup for Arsenal. He has been a consistent performer for the Gunners in the last few matches and would like to keep a clean sheet against Blackpool.
Defence
With Bellerin in doubt for selection, Stephan Lichtsteiner is set to start in the right back position. Rob Holding would be the one to keep his place in the backline, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will be replacing Shkodran Mustafi to pair up with the Englishman. The left-back position will be taken up by the young Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who should be replacing Granit Xhaka.
Midfield
Mohamed Elneny will be making his way into the first eleven and would partner Matteo Guendouzi in the central midfield. Emile Smith-Rowe will start on the right-hand side of the midfield and would be accompanied by Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi.
Attack
The onus will once again be on Pierre Emerick-Aubmeyang as he will lead the line for the Gunners against Blackpool. The Gabon international has been among the goals currently as he scored against both Leicester City and Crystal Palace in the last two matches in the Premier League and will look to add to his tally against Blackpool as well.
Predicted Formation: 4-2-3-1
