Preston vs Arsenal Preview, Prediction, Team News And Confirmed Lineups

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 confirmed 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.

⚫️ 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝘿𝘼𝙔 🔴

🆚 Preston North End
🕢 7.45pm (UK)
🏆 Carabao Cup
🏟️ Deepdale Stadium pic.twitter.com/xXxSEBhlSo

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 30, 2024

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.

Preston Team News

The hosts are expected to be without Ched Evans (knock), Patrick Bauer (elbow), Will Keane (thigh) and Robbie Brady through injury, with the latter twisting his ankle against Plymouth on Saturday.

Milutin Osmajic is another who misses out. The Montenegrin striker has been banned for eight matches for biting Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck last month.

Arsenal Team News

After serving his one-match ban against Liverpool, William Saliba returns to the fold for the Gunners and is in contention to start, however Gabriel is expected to miss out after picking up a knee injury.

Like Gabriel, Jurrien Timber was forced off on Sunday with a suspected cramp, and it is unlikely that the Dutchman will be risked on Wednesday.

Also likely to miss out are Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Kieran Tierney (hamstring) and Martin Odegaard (ankle), who are all struggling with their respective injury concerns.

Preston vs Arsenal Confirmed Lineups

Preston Lineup:

Woodman; Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Kesler-Hayden, Holmes, Thordarson, Ledson, Okkels; Greenwood, Bowler

Arsenal Lineup:

Setford; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Nwaneri, Jorginho, Merino; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli

Preston vs Arsenal Prediction

The hosts will be looking to bounce back after their draw against Plymouth at the weekend, but against a high-flying English top-flight side such as Arsenal, we can only see Preston exiting in the fourth round.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are heavily favoured to advance according to the UK’s best football betting sites, and we agree with their assessment, as we see the North Londoners coming out on top by a healthy margin.

Prediction: Preston 1-3 Arsenal