Arsenal Face Brighton in Carabao Cup with Several Key Players Doubtful

Arsenal will face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup tonight with several first-team players potentially unavailable, including defender William Saliba, while young attacker Max Dowman could be in line for his first start.

Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Saliba is out of Wednesday’s match, stating, “He’s out. We’re assessing him, but he won’t be involved in this match.” The news comes after a busy schedule for the Gunners, who are currently four points clear at the top of the Premier League table following yesterday’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. A strong cup run could provide a valuable second pathway to European qualification.

Despite Saliba’s absence, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori both participated in training and are expected to be fit, while defender Piero Hincapie, who recently made his Premier League debut, is also available and could earn his first start. Arteta praised Hincapie, saying, “He’s a warrior…His quality on the ball is a player that is super keen.”

Adding to the potential changes, 15-year-old academy star Max Dowman, who has already appeared in two Premier League games and the previous Carabao Cup round, was pictured in training and may be named in the starting XI due to the unavailability of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. The team prepared at the Sobha Reality Training Centre today for the match against Brighton.

Arsenal will be looking to build on their eight-game winning streak as they aim to advance in the Carabao Cup, having reached the semi-final stage last season.