Arsenal take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals this evening as they search for a second major trophy under boss Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard led the Gunners to the FA Cup trophy in 2020 at the end of his debut season as manager and has since improved the team to become title contenders in the Premier League. More silverware will be the perfect reward for their development but Arsenal come into the match with staggered momentum.
Their last two Premier League outings have ended in draws with Fulham and Everton so are unlikely to underestimate Crystal Palace especially as Oliver Glasner’s side are on an upwards trajectory.
Palace sit 15th in the league following a poor start to the season but they pulled off a great win away to Brighton at the weekend and are unbeaten in five league games including a 2-2 draw against Manchester City. Is their form good enough to beat Arsenal this evening though?
Follow all the Carabao Cup action with our live blog below:
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE
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Arsenal host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals | Kick-off at 7.30pm live on Sky Sports
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The Gunners drew 0-0 with Everton last time out but hope to win more silverware under Mikel Arteta
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Palace are unbeaten in five matches and defeated Brighton last time out
Arsenal FC – Crystal Palace FC
When is the Carabao Cup semi-final draw? Date, start time and TV channel
18:00 , Chris Wilson
The draw for the Carabao Cup semi-finals is near with the quarter-finals taking place this week.
Arsenal take on Crystal Palace, Newcastle United host Brentford and Southampton, without a permanent manager after Russell Martin’s dismissal, welcome Liverpool in a packed Wednesday night of football.
The final quarter-final sees Tottenham battle a Manchester United side bouncing off a thrilling derby win over Manchester City on Thursday night.
Sky Sports’ Carabao Cup presenter Mark Chapman hosts the draw following coverage of the final last eight tie with former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp and former Manchester City forward Izzy Christiansen assisting with the draw.
When is the Carabao Cup semi-final draw?
Which other ties are taking place in the quarter-finals?
17:50 , Chris Wilson
There are, of course, three more ties taking place in the quarter-finals of this competition, with two more tonight and the final one tomorrow. A full list of the fixtures and times is below.
Wed, 18 December – Arsenal v Crystal Palace, 7.30pm
Wed, 18 December – Brentford v Newcastle, 7.45pm
Wed, 18 December – Southampton v Liverpool, 8pm
Thurs, 19 December – Tottenham v Manchester United, 8pm
Is Arsenal v Palace on TV?
17:40 , Chris Wilson
When is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace?
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace is due to kick off at 7.30pm GMT on Wednesday, 18 December at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Where can I watch the match?
The quarter-final match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, while subscribers will be able to live stream via the Sky Go app.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Predicted line-ups & prediction
17:30 , Chris Wilson
ArsenalXI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Nwaneri, Jorginho, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Sterling.
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Prediction
Arsenal might have struggled for goals in recent weeks, but with both sides likely to rotate it could be a game where the overall squad quality shines through. The Gunners should have enough to get past Palace despite their recent good form.
Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace.
Team news
17:20 , Chris Wilson
For Mikel Arteta’s side, long-term absentees Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still out, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori will also miss the game. Declan Rice is also being assessed after coming off against Everton last week, while back-up ‘keeper Neto is cup-tied.
In his pre-match conference, Arteta gave little away regarding rotation, though some second-string players could come in in key positions. In defence, Jakub Kiwior and Miles Lewis-Skelly could feature, with Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Mikel Merino all in contention to start.
Palace will be without Daniel Munoz due to suspension after he was booked in the win over Brighton, while Adam Wharton and Matheus Franca remain out injured. Eberechi Eze will be assessed after suffering a swollen foot against the Seagulls.
Eddie Nketiah and Matt Turner could both feature against their former club.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE
17:10 , Chris Wilson
Arsenal host Crystal Palace at the Emirates in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals tonight, with Mikel Arteta’s side still well in the hunt for what would be just the second major trophy of the Spniard’s tenure.
The Gunners have struggled for goals in recent weeks against Fulham and most recently Everton, though they sit third in the Premier League just six points behind Liverpool.
And though the gap at the top will undoubtedly be on Arteta’s mind, so will the lack of major trophies during his time at the club, with the Spaniard unlikely to underestimate Palace.
The Eagles secured a brilliant away win over Brighton last weekend and though they sit 15th in the league, they haven’t lost any of their last five matches, with Oliver Glazer’sside steadily improving in recent weeks.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE
17:00 , Chris Wilson
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s Carabao Cup match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
The hosts remain third in the league and on the hunt for a major trophy on all four fronts, though Mikel Arteta could be tempted into a slew of changes to the starting XI here with the Gunners languishing six points adrift of Liverpool.
And Palace visit the Emirates to face an Arsenal side that is struggling to score goals, and while the Eagles themselves have shown mixed results so far this season, they are unbeaten in their last five.
We’ll have all the latest updates, news and build-up here.
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