Second string Arsenal side to face Coventry

Last updated : 26 September 2012 By Covsupport News Service/RD

Coventry City travel to The Emirates today to take on Arsenal in the Capital One Cup and is has become the norm, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will select players who are on the fringes of the team as well as players returning from injury. He may also select players who need a boost in confidence like Theo Walcott.

Arsene Wenger usually seizes the opportunity to give his fringe players the chance to play in  the various guises of the League Cup and tonight's Capital One Cup tie is no different.

Wenger will have Emmanuel Frimpong in his squad tonight and he will probably play at some point, but he may start on the bench. Frimpong suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in February while he was on loan at Wolves but has recovered enough to resume playing.

Wenger said: “He [Frimpong] will be back for the first time on the bench. Ideally we should have waited a bit longer to include him again, but once you’re back, you want so much a chance to be involved, so I want to give him a chance to be involved at least. Physically, Emmanuel has never been as fit as he is now."

Arsenal's forgotten striker Andrei Arshavin will also be in the squad. Arshavin has been left out in the cold and spent much of last season on loan at Zenit St Petersburg, but he want to play for Arsenal and rejected a move in the recently closed transfer window. Wenger will reward Arshavin's loyalty with a place in tonight's team.

Wenger told the Arsenal  web player,  "I have personally a great respect for Andrei Arshavin because sometimes some wrong ideas circulated about him, that he doesn't care, but it's completely the opposite. He is a 200% professional who works every day very hard in training.

"At the moment he is a victim of the high level of competition that exists for places. I think he has a huge respect from everybody in the dressing room, and especially from the staff. We will give him of course some competition on Wednesday night."

Among the better known names that Wenger may select are Theo Walcott, Brazilian international Andre Santos and the Swiss defender Johan Djourou. The Gunners new French striker Olivier Giroud could also be given a chance bag his first goal in an Arsenal shirt.

Unfamiliar names who may be given their chance include Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris and the 17 year old German under 18 international Serge Gnabry.