Ox will knock his old club out of the cup

Match Preview: Arsenal vs Southampton - League Cup - 30.11.16

From the visit of one south coast club to another. Tonight sees Southampton travel to Arsenal to fight for a place in the EFL Cup semi-finals. Both clubs have bigger fish to fry so we can expect a raft of changes for both sides. Arsenal will be without Olivier Giroud who picked up a groin injury as well as Mathieu Debuchy who will be devastated to have come off injured against Bournemouth after just 15 minutes.

Arsenal's league cup squad these days tends to have a more senior feel about it but we can expect to see a few youth players stake their claims for more senior involvement and potentially even a debtuant in Mavididi as Wenger loses faith in the loan system.

Emi Martinez will continue in goal having been given assurances from Wenger that he is Arsenal's league cup keeper no matter what. Jenkinson will likely start at right back and you'd have to feel this would have been the case even if Debuchy had not suffered an injury on Sunday. He will likely be joined in defence by Gabriel, Rob Holding and Kieran Gibbs.

The midfield will see a distinctly experienced feel with Coquelin, Elneny and Ramsey tipped to start. Jeff Reine-Adelaide can count himself unlucky if he fails to make the starting XI with another double-barrelled winger in Oxlade-Chamberlain odds on to start on the opposite flank having scored Arsenal's last three EFL Cup goals. He'll be champing at the bit to make it three games in a row and has the added incentive of facing his old club.

Lucas has recovered from his injury sooner than expected but the manager may feel starting him would be a rush so Mavididi might get a nod after impressing in the youth set up.

Last 3 meetings

• Arsenal 2-1 Southampton (10.09.2016)
• Arsenal 2-0 Southampton (02.02.2016)
• Southampton 4-0 Arsenal (26.12.2015)

FACTFILE

• Arsenal's last three home League Cup games against Premier League opposition have ended in defeat, with just one goal scored.
• The Gunners have progressed from just one of their last five League Cup quarter-finals, last doing so in 2010-11 with a 2-0 win over Wigan.
• Arsenal have lost just one of their seven League Cup meetings with Southampton.
• Southampton have been eliminated at this stage of the competition on each of their last seven attempts.
• No player has had a hand in more EFL Cup goals than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this season (4 - three goals, one assist).
• Oxlade-Chamberlain has also scored each of Arsenal's last three goals in the EFL Cup.

INJURIES

Giroud, Bellerin, Cazorla, Welbeck, Debuchy and Mertesacker.

POSSIBLE STARTING XI

Martinez; Jenkinson, Gabriel, Holding, Gibbs, Coquelin, Elneny, Ramsey; Reine-Adelaide, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mavididi.

GOONERSPHERE'S PREDICTION

With Southampton focused on the Europa League Arsenal should edge this one.

2-1

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