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According to a report by Football London on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Arsenal are preparing to face Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with manager Mikel Arteta expected to rotate his squad and give several players an opportunity to feature.
The Gunners booked their place in this round after securing an entertaining 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town in the previous stage. They will now seek another positive result as they attempt to maintain their strong performances across domestic and European competitions.
Arsenal currently sit second in the Premier League table, level on points with the leaders but separated by goal difference. Their Champions League campaign has also started encouragingly, with seven points collected from their opening three matches.
Fleetwood Town, meanwhile, face a difficult challenge against the Premier League side. The League Two outfit occupy 18th position with 14 points from 13 games and head into the contest after suffering back-to-back defeats against Cheltenham Town and Exeter City.
Regarding team news, William Saliba and Christos Tzolis are expected to remain unavailable because of injuries. Bukayo Saka is also likely to miss the encounter after picking up a problem during Arsenal's match against Bayern Munich last week.
However, Arsenal have received a boost with Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera recovering from their respective injuries. Both defenders could be considered for selection as Arteta prepares his team for the cup fixture.
Martin Zubimendi has also returned to full fitness after overcoming an ankle issue. Nevertheless, reports indicate that the midfielder sustained a nose injury during Arsenal's recent meeting with Everton, leaving some uncertainty over his involvement.
In goal, Kepa Arrizabalaga is tipped to start, allowing regular first-choice goalkeeper David Raya to rest. Young defender Marli Salmon could partner Mosquera in central defence, while Gabriel Magalhaes and Ezri Konsa may begin on the bench.
Jurrien Timber is expected to feature at right-back, with Hincapie potentially occupying the opposite side. This arrangement could allow Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori to receive a break.
In midfield, Myles Lewis-Skelly could join Zubimendi in the deeper positions, while Bruno Guimaraes completes the three-man unit. Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard could be rested initially and introduced if required.
Eberechi Eze is predicted to start on the left wing, with teenage talent Max Dowman operating on the right. Viktor Gyokeres is expected to lead the attack as Arsenal look to secure qualification for the next round.
Arsenal's predicted starting XI in a 4-3-3 formation is Kepa Arrizabalaga; Jurrien Timber, Marli Salmon, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, Bruno Guimaraes; Max Dowman, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze.