On Wednesday, Arsenal will travel to face rivals Brentford in the third round of the Carabao Cup, a tournament they haven’t won since the 1992/93 campaign.
If the Spaniard takes advantage of competition regulations, Mikel Arteta will be allowed to play his strongest lineup against Brentford on Wednesday night.
Arsenal have a challenging Carabao Cup match at the Gtech Community Stadium. But Arteta has a reputation for taking the postseason competitions seriously. The 2019–20 FA Cup was the only trophy he has managed the team to win so far.
Additionally, he received criticism last season for fielding his top XI throughout the Europa League campaign. Even though his team was competing for the Premier League crown. The strategy finally failed when crucial centre-back William Saliba suffered a crippling back injury in the last-16 defeat to Sporting Lisbon. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.
Now that David Raya has replaced Aaron Ramsdale in the starting lineup for the previous three games, Arteta must choose whether to retain using on-loan goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal got Raya for £3 million with a £27 million permanent deal available in the summer of 2023.
Arsenal Manager might use David Raya as goalkeeper against Brentford in the Carabao Cup
The 28-year-old would be disqualified if it were a Premier League match. The Premier League does not allow loaned players to compete against their original club. However, cup tournaments are not under that regulations.
In fact, Philippe Coutinho made history in 2020 when he participated in a Champions League quarterfinal matchup for Bayern Munich against parent club Barcelona. He scored twice in the German team’s 8-2 thrashing of the Spanish side. The similar idea is acceptable in English domestic cup events if both participating teams agree.
Additionally, the Bees have authorised Raya to participate, according to talkSPORT. Ramsdale, who had started the previous 52 league games for Arsenal, was first replaced by the former Blackburn goalie for the 1-0 victory against Everton this month.
David Raya subsequently got the go-ahead for Sunday’s tense North London derby. He also kept his spot for the Champions League triumph against PSV. Raya made some fantastic stops for the Gunners, one of which Ramsdale applauded from the bench. But he also made a mistake that allowed Spurs to equalise.
However, many fans and experts would have anticipated Ramsdale to make a comeback for a Carabao Cup match. But the fact that Arsenal has negotiated Raya’s availability is significant. Furthermore, Arteta’s decision to start him would send a harsh message to the England international.
Arteta looks eager to make Raya his No. 1, despite his earlier promise to alternate the two. That’s in spite of Ramsdale’s steady performance for Arsenal. Ramsdale was also selected for the PFA Premier League squad of the Year at the conclusion of the previous campaign.
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