Arsenal v Southampton (EFL Cup)

Having gone that far in this competition, you can’t think about not winning it.

Tbf it’s been 2 rounds. We’re hardly flying in this competition considering that we’ve beaten Championship teams.

I am not saying it, but you can reach the last 4 beating Southampton today. You can start thinking about winning it at this point.

Southampton is playing Europa League this year and has fewer riches and resources than we do, so for me it’s a little embarrassing if Southampton come at us with a close to full strength XI and we put out a side any less experienced than the Forest/Reading line-ups. Should be a little stronger than those line-ups as well really, the yoof have had two rounds to get some time (a la Maitland Niles, Reine-Adelaide, Martinez). Quarter final time now and time to toughen things up a little.

I have no problem resting Sanchez, Ozil, Walcott and Kostafi, rotate the keeper too, but even beyond this we should have enough numbers (and quality among those numbers) to be able to compete in our 4th priority competition with another club for whom it is a 4th priority competition…

I think we’ll win tonight and it’s my birthday so if we don’t I probably will cry.

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I guess we know the back 5 will be the usual reserves then I’d go Elneny-Ramsey, Ox-Iwobi-Jeff, Perez

Would be nice to see Mavididi get some game time tonight, Wenger has his pick of forwards for this with Perez back in the team. It’d be nice to still be in it, having the chance to play some of the younger members in these games has always been a good rule of thumb to sieve out the promising talent amongst them. So a win would be very welcome!

It’s not on TV anywhere in the UK tonight right?

I’m not too fussed either way whatever happens tonight, but as @SDGooner mentions, it would be nice to win this at some point. It seems kinda crazy to think in 20 years of Wenger, we’ve never won the damn thing. Heck, in my 20 odd years of being an Arsenal fan, I’ve never seen us win this competition fullstop :gunnersaurus:

I missed out on our last success in 1993. I really hope Giroud’s injury is just one of those things that needs a few days to get over, and is back for West Ham.

Could see this game going into extra time.

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At Emirates. #afc team: Martinez, Jenkinson, Holding, Gabriel, Gibbs; Coquelin, Elneny; Reine-Adelaide, Ramsey, Iwobi; Perez.

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I like this team. No Alexis, Ozil, or Walcott is prudent and Xhaka on the bench for this fixture suggests to me that he is written into the real first XI for West Ham, which I think is a good sign in general.

I expect us to lose but lets have a go and see what happens.

FUCKING PEREZ!! GET IN

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Expected line up. C’mon you red and white!

Southampton are actually rotating very heavily too. I didn’t expect that. Van Dijk and Bertrand are the only outfield players who started against Everton last weekend. We really should win against this lot at home.

Yeah no real surprises about that line up. Glad Perez is starting.

Hope this Jeff kid put in a decent performance, hasn’t really done anything of note when he’s had the opportunity

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To be fair to him he is only 18.

http://craigduarte.co.uk/mdc/

MDC

To be honest we should have a decent chance considering they are rotating heavily also.

Haha you after our jobs or something?

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Christ almighty.

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Well, I suppose if there was a time for our unbeaten run to end, this would be it. Unfortunately you could tell from the lineup it wasn’t going to be a great night. No real creativity in the lineup and defence dodgy as.

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