Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side head up north to take on Championship side Preston in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups, as well as a prediction in our preview.
Preston vs Arsenal Preview
Arsenal return to Carabao Cup action on Wednesday night with a trip to Deepdale to take on Championship outfit Preston North End, with both sides vying for a spot in the quarter-final draw following the final whistle.
The Lilywhites come into the tie off the back of a 3-3 draw against Plymouth on Saturday, a game in which they led 3-0 after 48 minutes, but despite the disappointing collapse, they are now unbeaten in five straight matches (two wins and three draws).
Paul Heckingbottom’s side find themselves in 16th place in the second-tier table, just three points clear of the drop zone, and they advanced to this stage of the cup thanks to wins over Sunderland, Harrogate and Fulham in the previous rounds.
Arsenal, meanwhile, defeated League One side Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the third round, and they head into midweek action having played out a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday evening.
The Gunners took the lead on two occasions in that one, first through Bukayo Saka and then through Mikel Merino, but goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah meant that the spoils were shared at the Emirates.
Wednesday’s clash will be the first meeting between Preston and Arsenal since they faced off in the FA Cup third round back in January 2017. The Gunners came out on topon that day, fighting back from 1-0 down to claim a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.
