Okay, we know, we know. We said we weren't going to do a Brighton preview before going on holiday, yet here we are. We just can't stay away.

 

Hey, nothing wrong with giving you a small Carabao Cup piece before jetting off to the land of apple pie and sunshine.

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We have to admit here at Arsenal Legion that we've kinda changed our minds about the Carabao Cup. We have Andrea Berta to thank for that. We'll explain.

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In years gone by, and, if being honest, even against Port Vale this season, we had an absolute apathy towards the competition. We viewed it as nothing more than extra unwanted games, fatiguing our players in an already packed schedule.

 

With our squad depth as it is this season, thanks to our terrific summer business, our approach has changed. We see the Carabao Cup now as vital for maintaining squad morale and fitness.

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We've gone from "Ugh, competition calendar clogger" to "It's crucial to player dissatisfaction. We must spread the game time love or else risk losing Benny Blanco in 3 months!" Yes, it's quite the pivot!

 

Look at the players that are going to get a run out tonight that have been watching from the sidelines most of the season.

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​Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, MLS, Nordgaard, Nwaneri. Then you will have guys like Saka who have missed game time and are still feeling their way back to full fitness. Merino could do with a good run-out.

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That's seven internationals for one reason or another looking for much-needed game time.

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The main factor, above all else, is feeling involved, feeling valued. Any footballer will tell you that apart from injuries, the worst part of the job is training all week and not playing at the weekend. When weeks turn into months, disappointment can quickly fester into disillusionment.

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This is one of Arteta's most significant challenges this season. With added squad depth comes player discontent. It's inevitable.

 

How does he handle it? His one significant, undeniable weakness is being addicted to players until they break. With our current depth of strength, there is absolutely no reason to do this. He has to start spreading the minutes, spreading the love around to keep everyone fully invested. We've said it before, come the January transfer window, in a World Cup year, we cannot be losing guys through lack of game time in the middle of a title tilt.

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We aren't bringing in Rob Holding or Raheem Sterling. Guys like Mosquera, White, Nwaneri and MLS would start for most other Premier League teams, and that's a fact. 

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Our backup starting defence is Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie and MLS. The talent levels are frightening. 90% of teams in the EPL don't have that good a STARTING back five, never mind in reserve. It's the kind of squad depth flex that every other manager right now can only dream of.

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Since it's a quick one, we aren't going to go all-in-depth on Brighton and their signings, form, etc, like our usual previews. We'll save all that for the league fixture.

 

What we will say is that something is uber-annoying about their manager, young American/German Fabian Hurzeler. He's like an unsupervised toddler who's found his parents' secret Skittles stash.

 

We know Arteta's touchline antics rile up a lot of people (Cough Richard Keys cough), but this guy is something else. Not that he receives anywhere near the scrutiny that Arteta is subjected to, but he has quite the rap sheet since his arrival. But hey, he does it for the "authenticity", so that excuses all.

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Our injury list is mounting with the usual suspects already out (some rumoured to be back after the next interlull), but we lost Martinelli and Saliba from the weekend. There were also doubts about Rice and Calafiori, and we can't see either taking part if there is any risk whatsoever. Saka was ill, but we fully expect him to play. 

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The only one we'd rather not see play because of 'load issues' is Trossard, but with Martinelli going down (he would have started for sure), we have no choice. Leo will be happy, no doubt. He is certainly one player who doesn't take kindly to not playing or being subbed off, and has zero poker face to hide it.

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One player we might see starting is young Max Dowman. If it were lower league opposition, Arteta would defo throw him in to the starting lineup. Since it's against premiership opposition it will be interesting what way Arteta goes with him and will tell us how much he really values the competition. We do expect him to play some kind of part regardless. He has, of course, committed his long-term future to the club this week, which is superb news. Negotiations are always a bit easier when your whole family are Arsenal through and through.

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​Our full predicted lineup is below with our AI Score predictor.​