Eddie Nketiah warned by Oliver Glasner that he ‘can’t do’ one thing on his Arsenal return

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Arsenal are preparing for their EFL Cup clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday night at the Emirates.

The Gunners are two steps away from a trip to Wembley, with Crystal Palace standing in Mikel Arteta’s way in the quarter-final.

Arsenal breezed past Preston North End in the fourth round, booking their place in the final eight of the EFL Cup, giving Arteta a chance to claim silverware. 

Now, Palace offer the North Londoners a significantly greater challenge, being a Premier League rival, with another hurdle being Arsenal’s current injury list.

• READ MORE: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace: EFL Cup TV channel, live stream details, team news and more

Eddie Nketiah sent message ahead of Arsenal return

Arteta’s wait to have a fully fit defence goes on, as the manager confirmed that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori will miss Palace due to ongoing injury woes.

Such could open another door for Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has impressed in recent weeks in the first team.

The Hale End star has shone in the EFL Cup this term alongside fellow academy jewel Ethan Nwaneri however, the duo won’t be the only Arsenal graduates on show. 

Following his summer transfer to Crystal Palace, Eddie Nketiah is preparing for his return to the Emirates, and the striker has a point to prove to the Eagles.

Nketiah has had a difficult start to life at Palace, scoring once in his 13 appearances for the club so far.

Amid injury concerns and competition for minutes, the Englishman has had to be patient to make his mark although, Oliver Glasner has hinted that the striker could be involved in N5. 

Speaking about the 25-year-old’s presumed desire to send a message to Arsenal, Glasner admitted that there’s more to the fixture than Nketiah’s return.

“I don’t know if this is Eddie’s ambition [to prove Arsenal should have given him more game time], it’s important that we go there to win the game so that’s the most important thing, nobody would be pleased if Eddie scores a goal but we will lose,” he said.

The Austrian then went on to push the spotlight away from the Arsenal academy graduate, emphasising the importance of Palace coming together as a team.

“It’s important to win the game whoever scores the goal. Eddie can’t do it alone, nobody can do it alone but as a team, I think it’s possible.”

Glasner made it clear that while the focus is naturally on Nketiah, the former Gunner can’t win the game as an individual, preparing his squad for battle at the Emirates.

Nketiah’s Arsenal career in numbers

Having left the Emirates with 168 appearances and 38 goals, Nketiah had many memorable moments at Arsenal.

That being said, it was the right time for the Gunners to part ways with the 25-year-old, who was not displaying his full potential despite being incredibly talented and hard-working.

The numbers reinforce such belief, as Nketiah failed to score more than five goals in a Premier League season, with his total being 116 league appearances and 19 goals.

Arteta will be wary of the forward’s impressive record in the EFL Cup, however, as the Hale End graduate scored nine goals in 12 apperances for Arsenal in the tournament. 

Glasner has insisted that Nketiah can’t do it alone, but that won’t deter the striker from doing his best to impress in front of his previous club.