Mikel Arteta will make changes for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup third round clash with Bolton Wanderers in League One. The question is how many of them will be implemented.
The Gunners earned a 2-2 draw in a titanic Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday, playing 45 minutes with 10 men after Leandro Trossard’s red card before suffering the heartbreak of conceding John Stones’ equaliser eight minutes into added time.
Stones joined team-mates Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji in accusing Arsenal of exercising “dark arts” tactics by slowing down the game and faking injury.
“I always prefer facts to words or assumptions,” Arteta said at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “Let’s see who’s available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or those things or whether it’s a reality.”
“Unfortunately, yes, there will be some players who will not be available. You will know tomorrow. As soon as I give the line-up. We will base ourselves on the facts. If a player fakes something, it means that he will continue to play and be part of the team.”
Arsenal vs Bolton lineups, expected starting XI, confirmed squad news
David Raya He put in a superb performance against Manchester City despite cramps and a bandage on his knee, but the Spanish goalkeeper could be forced to return to action as a number two. Net is equal and adolescent Tommy Setford suffered a hip injury.
Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Woods and scorer Riccardo Calafiori All of this happened during Arsenal’s colossal defensive effort in the second half at the weekend and will be assessed. Ben White replaced Bukayo Saka at half-time, although he is not fully fit, which at least means the latter should be fresh to feature in the attacking line.
Myles Lewis-Skelly came off the bench for his Premier League debut against City and is likely to start on Wednesday in light of the aforementioned defensive issues.
Arsenal’s predicted starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — Nichols, Gabriel, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly — Nwaneri, Jorginho, Rice — Saka, Jesus, Sterling
Hurt: Tierney, Odegaard, Merino, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Setford, Raya (doubt), White (doubt), Martinelli (doubt), Timber (doubt), Calafiori (doubt)
Suspended: Trossard
Cup tied: Net
Bolton earned a well-deserved 5-2 win over Reading at the weekend, with Dion Charles They scored a hat-trick before half-time. It was only the second win in six League One games for Ian Evatt’s side this season.
Former Arsenal youth player Jordi Osei-Tutu will unfortunately miss the reunion with his former club due to a knee injury.
Bolton predicted the XI (3-5-2, right to left): Southwood (GK) — Toal, Johnston, Santos — Dacres-Cogley, Thomason, Arfield, Dempsey, Schon — Adeboyejo, Charles
Hurt: Osei-Tutu, Gomes, Lolos, Jones, Forrester
Suspended: None
Arsenal vs Bolton Live Stream, TV Channel
Here’s how to watch this Carabao Cup third round match in select areas across major regions around the world:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Paramount+ |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UNITED KINGDOM | Sky Sports+ | Sky GO website, Sky Sports |
| Australia | beIN Sports 1 | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | — | Fan Code |
