Arsenal travel to League Two Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night for a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie that should be a procession — and is exactly the kind of night that has embarrassed them before, with Max Dowman expected to start after his two goals in the last round.
The Gunners sit second in the Premier League, level on points with leaders Manchester City after Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton. Fleetwood, by contrast, are 18th in League Two and have lost six of their last seven in all competitions. On paper, there is no contest. In a sold-out Highbury Stadium, under the lights, there just might be.
A Fleetwood run built on clean sheets
Fleetwood have reached this stage the hard way, eliminating Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United without conceding a single goal — their best run in this competition to date, as the Football Faithful preview notes. Captain Ched Evans has scored three goals in three EFL Cup appearances this season and is set to lead the line again.
Manager Matt Lawlor is determined his players enjoy it without fearing it. "It is an amazing night for the club and an amazing night for the fans, the town and the area. We have sold out for the first time in 11 or 12 years," he said. "The champions are coming to town on our patch and it's on telly so if you can't get up for this game you can't get up for any game. The players need to be excited for it but while respect is through the roof, the fear can't be."
The hosts are not at full strength. Lewis McCann is suspended after his second yellow card of the competition against Sheffield United, and Kane Thompson-Sommers is a long-term absentee. Rhys Bennett returns from suspension, while Andy Cannon could be available again after injury.
Dowman's night, with the big names rested
Mikel Arteta is expected to make wholesale changes with a trip to Liverpool to follow at the weekend. When he was asked whether Dowman will start, the Arsenal manager would only say: "Let's see." The evidence points one way: Dowman scored twice against Ipswich Town in the third round, was named that round's player of the round, and is in line to start again alongside fellow youngsters Marli Salmon and Andre Harriman-Annous.
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka, whose quad injury from last week's draw at Bayern Munich has kept him out since he walked off ten minutes into that game, and William Saliba, who remains out with a back problem. Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis are both doubts, with Tzolis likely to be rested regardless. It is a thinner Arsenal than the one Ezri Konsa praised this week when he called the Saliba-Gabriel partnership the best, and it puts more weight on the likes of Kepa, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi to do a professional job.
There is a nice symmetry for the visitors, too. Saka may be missing on the pitch, but he was honoured off it on Monday night, winning the Socrates Award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. His absence is precisely why nights like this matter for Dowman: the pathway from cup cameo to first-team regular is the one Saka himself walked.
So what: a banana skin with a Liverpool trip behind it
The context is what makes this tie dangerous. Arsenal's predicted line-up, per USA TODAY, is a rotated one — Kepa in goal, Salmon in defence, Dowman, Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze behind the striker — and every rotation is a gamble against a side with nothing to lose and a perfect defensive record in this cup. Lose, and the talk all week before Liverpool is about a humiliation at a League Two ground. Win comfortably, and Arteta gets exactly what he wants: minutes for his fringe players, rest for his starters, and momentum preserved.
Fleetwood need an early goal and a crowd that believes. Evans, with his cup record this season, is their obvious route to it.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This is Dowman's audition and Arteta's trap in the same 90 minutes. Arsenal should win by three, but a manager who was in the squad that lost on penalties at Bradford in 2012 knows better than anyone that these nights punish arrogance. Pick the kids, trust them, and get out of Fleetwood with no drama — that is the real test. Will Dowman score again tonight, or is an upset brewing? Let us know in the comments.
