It’s the EFL Cup tonight for The Arsenal and whilst most other teams are prepping for their Christmas schedule, our lads have to overcome what has become quite an impressive opponent in the shape of Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace.

Admittedly they were pretty terrible against a rejuvenated Leeds United side last weekend and some of the defending was pretty budget, I have to say, but I think that was the exception rather than the norm and I think we’ll get a better performance from Palace in the cup tonight.

I do think they will rotate though. They don’t have the biggest squad in the world and they’ve tended not to rotate too much where possible in the league, but the Europa Conference League and the earlier rounds of this competition has seen Glasner shuffle his deck a little and I think the same happens tonight. And we’ve got a data point to suggest that too, because in the fourth round Palace went to Anfield and heavily rotated a team with Benitez in goal (literally never heard of him until just now), Cardines (same), Canvot (again), Sosa and Uche all coming in alongside more familiar faces of Guehi, Lacroix and Kamada. So I do think we’ll see a few more of those unfamiliar names and whilst that represents a good opportunity for us, you only have to look at the fact they smashed Liverpool on their own turf to serve as a warning if we aren’t ready.

That’s been Arteta’s job yesterday and I think he will have been stressing to those players who will play tonight, that there is an opportunity to impress this evening, because I do believe he’ll take a few players out. There are some in which it is easy I think – Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Kepa – but because of our injury problems, I do think it is difficult to see how rotated he goes for it tonight. I still think there will be one or two of the familiar names to the team. And with that in my mind, my guess at a starting XI would be:

Kepa

Timber   –   Saliba   –   Hincapie   –   MLS

Norgaard

Nwaneri   –   Eze

Madueke   –   Jesus   –   Martinelli

He could play Norgaard at centre half, then maybe have that three-man midfield with Merino dropping in to the base, but I just don’t think he will and this side enables Arsenal to have a strong defensive line up, whilst rotating in some of those forward players to give them minutes. I don’t think we need to see Zubi, Rice, Saka or Trossard and I suspect we’re now at the point in which Jesus needs to start and get 60 minutes under his belt to see how his body reacts. Perhaps there’s then an opportunity to get Big Vik on for the last part of the game, or if Merino hasn’t started, he could come on up top. But I do think we need to get minutes in to legs and this team allows that. It also pairs up Martinelli and Jesus who, when Gabby J signed for us, struck up an impressive rapport in their first season playing together.

I also think you simply have to give minutes to Ethan and Myles and so I think they surely have to be a shoe-in tonight. Then, with them comes Eze against his former club and given he hasn’t started in the last game away to Everton, you probably give him the start tonight and then have Odegaard back in for Brighton on 27th. Then, behind them, Norgaard is the one I’ve chosen to anchor the midfield and my hope here is that Arteta isn’t tempted to play him at the back and then have Zubi or Rice coming in. Given he’s already spoken about managing Zubi’s minutes, it would seem mad to get him in for this game. That’s the same with Rice too; he is so important to us that if you can give him rest by having him sit this one out, then you have to do it.

What I am hoping for this evening is to see some of those players who haven’t started really make a case for themselves. Martinelli has bagged a few goals from the bench so I’m not looking specifically at him, but Noni has impressed without delivering end product domestically so far, so I’d like a big game for him. Then, of course, you’re looking at Gabby Jesus getting on the scoresheet to show that he’s back and to have people asking genuine competition questions with Gyokeres being patchy with his form. Behind them, Eze and Nwaneri probably do have a bit to prove and so I hope we get some twinkle from their toes today. At a period in the season in which the games come thick and fast, job-sharing of minutes is crucial and we need to know that these guys can come in and deliver continuity when called upon. They are all good enough, but it is night’s like tonight that you maybe just need to remind the manager that a little.

Palace will look different tonight in personnel, but their principles will remain the same; they’ll go with a back three, they’ll look to use their wing backs to create their with and get in to spaces as we try to press them high. So if they have wing backs who perform well tonight, that might be where our danger comes from. What we have to do is ensure that if we’re going to go one-v-one with wing backs and our full backs, then we need to win those battles that happen on the flanks. If Myles and whoever starts at right back (that’s why I didn’t suggest Marley Salmon to start there tonight, because I think positionally it will be seen as an area that Palace might be the most threatening) din their duels, then I think it will go a long way to us winning and progressing to that semi final that awaits in January to Chelsea.

It’s a competition that is low on the pecking order, but with the depth we have in this team it is a great opportunity to get some rotational players some minutes, whilst also making yourselves within spitting distance of a Wembley Cuyp final if you win. So let’s hope the boys go out there, do the business, but most importantly, nobody picks up any injuries.

I’ll be there tonight, then back tomorrow morning for a Christmas Eve debrief. See you then.