Mikel Arteta is set to ring the changes for tonight’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Brentford, with Emile Smith Rowe among the Arsenal fringe players in contention for a rare start.
Not so long ago, the idea of Smith Rowe being restricted to the early rounds of the cups and brief cameos from the bench would have appeared far-fetched but, remarkably, the midfielder is in line for his first competitive start since May 16, 2022 — a run stretching 499 days.
