Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Gunners look to progress as they host Carabao Cup quarter-final

The line-ups should be released soon, so here’s a reminder of the early team news.

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

Mikel Arteta admitted the magic was missing as Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to edge closer to Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League following a “very disappointing” goalless draw with Everton.

Arsenal dominated Saturday’s fixture against Sean Dyche’s resilient Toffees at the Emirates, but the sluggish championship contenders were guilty of failing to create enough clear-cut chances.

Arsenal have now gone three consecutive matches in the league without scoring from open play, leaving them six points behind Liverpool – who drew 2-2 against Fulham – having played a game more. The full-time whistle was greeted with a smattering of boos inside a frustrated Emirates.

The draw for the Carabao Cup semi-finals is near with the quarter-finals taking place this week.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.