Arsenal host Brighton on Wednesday night at the Emirates, and there are at least six players in Mikel Arteta’s squad who should play no role in the League Cup clash.
Arteta’s side cruised past Port Vale in the third round, courtesy of goals from Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard.
The North Londoners were subsequently rewarded with a home tie against the Seagulls in the fourth round.
While Arteta would no doubt like to add the League Cup to his list of honours as a manager, his team currently sit top of the Premier League and therefore have other priorities, which should be reflected in his team selection against Fabian Hurzeler’s side.
The six players Mikel Arteta must rest against Brighton
Winning the League Cup would give Arsenal fans a nice day out at Wembley, but it won’t move the needle for them.
If the Gunners progress into the semi-final and have to play two huge games against top-level opposition in January, in the midst of a gruelling schedule, it could be detrimental to their season.
Ultimately, if Arteta wins the League Cup but nothing else this campaign, fans aren’t going to be particularly enthused by how the season panned out.
For this reason, certain players must be protected ahead of future matches by taking no part against Brighton.
Given how well the squad has been rotated so far this season, many players won’t be overburdened by playing a role in this clash.
However, others have been stretched physically in the last week and are in desperate need of a midweek off.
Full-backs Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are among those who need a rest. Timber has played almost every minute of Arsenal’s last three matches, while Calafiori was taken off injured against Crystal Palace on Sunday, and continues to be vulnerable physically.
William Saliba was also forced off against Palace and should therefore play no role at all against Brighton. Cristhian Mosquera can cover for him.
Meanwhile, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice both started away at Fulham, and at home to Atletico Madrid and Crystal Palace. The duo have been starved of rest in recent weeks, and have understudies ready to make an impact in Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino.
Bukayo Saka wasn’t fit enough to play against Palace, but was risked anyway. Arteta cannot repeat this against Brighton, as he needs his talisman fit and firing for Burnley on the weekend.
Viktor Gyokeres should play some minutes against Brighton
Viktor Gyokeres is another Arsenal player who could do with a rest, although the Swede arguably needs another goal to keep his momentum going.
Leandro Trossard ought to start as a false nine on Wednesday, with Gyokeres kept as an option off the bench.
The striker should then be introduced in the latter stages of the game, regardless of the game state.
He’s already shown himself to be a remarkable athlete who is durable and robust, and can clearly keep running for 90 minutes even when he’s playing every three days.
A 20-minute cameo off the bench should give him the requisite rest to be sharp and raring to go on the weekend.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
