Arsenal will be without striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City because of a calf injury.
“Auba is not fit for [Tuesday],” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
“He will have another scan in the next few days and we will see how quickly we can get him back in the team.”
Arsenal have lost five of their last seven Premier League games and are 15th in the table with 14 points – their worst start to a season since 1974-75.
But despite Arsenal’s struggles in the league they have done well in the EFL Cup this season and have beaten Leicester and Liverpool on their way to the last eight.
The Gunners won the FA Cup under Arteta last season and he believes a win against City could set them up for more trophy success this term.
“This is what we want to use it for because it’s a competition we want to try to win,” Arteta added.
“We had two difficult opponents, with Leicester and Liverpool. We managed to beat them both and now we are playing at home and we are one step closer to Wembley.”
No plans to sign striker – Guardiola
Manchester City will assess Gabriel Jesus to determine whether the striker is fit to play after he missed the win at Southampton at the weekend with a jaw injury.
City are in good form at the moment as they look to extend their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions.
During that time they have conceded just one goal but have struggled to convert chances at the other end in recent games with just two goals in their last three.
Despite Sergio Aguero struggling for fitness, City boss Pep Guardiola says he has no plans to bring a striker in when the transfer window opens in January.
When asked if a new signing was a possibility, Guardiola said: “No I don’t think so because the economic situation around the world is what it is.
“All the clubs struggle – we are not an exception.”
Sterling lights up in the League Cup – the stats
- Arsenal and Manchester City last met in the League Cup in the 2018 final, with City winning 3-0. The Gunners have lost their last three League Cup matches against City, also losing in the quarter-finals in both 2009-10 and 2011-12.
- Manchester City have won their last three away matches against Arsenal, all in the Premier League. City are the only team to win three consecutive away games against the Gunners at the Emirates, while the last team to win four consecutive away matches against Arsenal were Chelsea between 1960 and 1965 (six in a row).
- Arsenal have been eliminated from six of their last eight League Cup quarter-finals, reaching the semi-final in 2010-11 and 2017-18 in this run. This is the Gunners’ 29th appearance at this stage, more than any other club.
- Manchester City have progressed from/won the final in each of their last 17 League Cup ties and haven’t lost a League Cup match in London since December 2003 (3-1 v Spurs), winning six and drawing two since, winning on penalties in the two draws.
- Since 2006-07, only Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (20) have won more League Cup matches at one venue than Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (19), with the Gunners winning seven of their last eight matches there (L1).
- Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 17 goals in 25 appearances in the League Cup (10 goals, seven assists) and has found the net in each of his last two matches at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, both Premier League encounters.