Arsenal have won only one of their last five League Cup fixtures, but should be far too strong for Bolton Wanderers in this third round tie.
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Preview
Will Arsenal's unbeaten start to the season continue? On Sunday, the Gunners held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad, but that doesn't nearly begin to tell the full story. After falling behind early, a wonder-strike from Riccardo Calafiori, followed by a trademark Gabriel towering header had the visitors ahead at half time.
However, the second period would prove to be an onslaught, given that Leandro Trossard had been shown a nonsense second yellow right on the cusp of the interval. Nevertheless, despite being down to ten-men, Mikel Arteta's team kept Man City out for so long, only for the hosts to salvage a draw with the last kick of the evening.
As a result, Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Premier League, their two draws both coming about as a result of sendings off for 'delaying the restart'. Now, following a trio of tough away games, the Gunners will be pleased to have four successive home fixtures to come, starting here with, what should be, a routine win.
Bolton Wanderers meantime were Arsenal's bona fide bogey team back in the noughties, but it's been 12 years since they graced the top-flight, with this set to be their first trip to North London since 2011.
Right now, following defeat in last season's play-off final at Wembley against Oxford, the Trotters remain rooted in League One, currently all the way down in 18th, emphatically smashing Reading 5-2 on Saturday, although a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Huddersfield a week earlier underlined their inconsistency.
In this competition, Ian Evatt's team have already ousted both Mansfield and Shrewsbury, so are on the cusp of reaching round four, most-recently achieving that in 2012, when the Wanderers were still a Premier League outfit.
Arsenal though have won each of their last seven home games against Bolton, while they haven't lost a home League Cup tie against lower-league opposition since being dumped out by Walsall in November 1983. Thus, anything other than a routine home win would be a major surprise.
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 133
- Arsenal Wins: 58. Draws: 36. Brighton Wins: 39
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers: Last 5 Meetings
- 1 February 2012 - Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Arsenal
- 25 October 2011 - Arsenal 2-1 Bolton Wanderers (EFL Cup)
- 24 September 2011 - Arsenal 3-0 Bolton Wanderers
- 24 April 2011 - Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Arsenal
- 11 September 2010 - Arsenal 4-1 Bolton Wanderers
Arsenal Team News
Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are all sidelined and Leandro Trossard is suspended, while Neto will not be able to make his debut as he is cup-tied, featuring during Bournemouth's defeat at West Ham last month.
With third-choice goalkeeper Tommy Setford injured, Jack Porter was amongst the substitutes in Bergamo last mid-week, becoming the youngest keeper to ever feature in a Champions League matchday squad. As a result, David Raya may be required to don the gloves, fitness permitting.
Elsewhere, having both come off the bench at Tottenham and Man City recently, 17 year old duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are likely starters, with centre-back Ayden Heaven and midfielder Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand also tipped to debut. In attack, Raheem Sterling will make his full-debut, while Gabriel Jesus will lead the line for the first time since recovering from injury.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Bolton Wanderers: (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Heaven, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Jorginho, Salah-Eddine, Nwaneri; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli.
Arsenal Player to Watch vs Bolton Wanderers
Ethan Nwaneri is the youngster all Arsenal supporters are talking about; he holds the record as the youngest player to feature in a Premier League match, coming on at Brentford in September 2022 at the age of just 15 years and 181 days. He featured prominently during pre-season in the U.S. and showed some nice touches during a cameo in the North London derby, so will be looking to shine.
Bolton Wanderers Team News
Even though Ian Evatt's team travel to fellow-strugglers Crawley on Saturday, he'll surely name his strongest available XI here. Left-wing-back Szabolcs Schön, who joined from MOL Fehérvár for a fee of £800,000 in the summer, is highly-rated, having represented Hungary at Euro 2020.
Scott Arfield, who's lost all five previous meetings with Arsenal, arrived from Charlotte FC in July, but is yet to nail down a regular starting spot.
Bolton Wanderers predicted lineup vs Arsenal: (3-5-2): Baxter; Toal, Johnston, Santos; Dacres-Cogley, Thomason, Sheehan, Matete, Schön; Charles, Adeboyejo.
Bolton Wanderers Player to Watch vs Arsenal
If Bolton are going to cause Arsenal any problems, Dion Charles is their most-likely scorer. The Northern Irish international bagged a hat-trick at the weekend, just the third of his senior career, taking his tally to five for the campaign, on target four times in his last seven EFL Cup appearances.
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Prediction
As alluded to earlier, Arsenal have won seven successive home games against Bolton, scoring 18 goals, a trend we're forecasting will continue. Even with a mix-and-match team, featuring both youth and expirence, Mikel Arteta's team should swat the Trotters aside: Arsenal 3-0 Bolton Wanderers.
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers FAQs - Carabao Cup
How to watch Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Carabao Cup game on TV channel?
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Carabao Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Sky Sports+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Carabao Cup game on live streaming?
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers Carabao Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Sky Sports+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup?
Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers takes place on Wednesday 25 September 2024, with kick off at 19:45 (BST), 14:45 (ET) & 11:45 (PDT).