Arsenal
Reuters

Reading will be looking to gain some confidence from their home tie against Arsenal in the fourth round fixture of the Capital One Cup, with the Royals having failed to win any of their eight matches in the Premier League so far this season.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 7.45pm GMT, with Sky Sports 2 and Sky sports 2 HD providing live coverage in the UK.

Overview

Brian McDermott's side, who are currently languishing in the relegation zone, have a good chance of posting a favourable result out of this game as Arsene Wenger will look to field a second-string side in anticipation of the Gunners' visit to Manchester United at the weekend.

McDermott has shown that he prefers to field a strong squad in the Capital One Cup, hoping that a successful outing in the competition willll propel the team to better results in the league. The former Arsenal midfielder's tactics have earned him dividends, with Reading getting the better of QPR in the third round.

The win at Loftus Road was their first against Premier League opposition so far this season, and McDermott will be hoping that fielding the same side, which impressed in a 3-3 draw against Fulham last week, will usher them on to the next round in the Cup.

Arsenal's chances of ending their trophy drought with the Premier league title have been dented by a series of poor results. The Gunners had started the campaign strongly, reaping the benefits of new signing Santi Cazorla, who has shown why he is regarded as one of the best playmakers in the world.

However, after an untimely international break the north Londoners lost their rhythm and succumbed to two successive defeats, against Norwich City and Schalke. However Wenger believes the weekend's victory over QPR could restore the confidence which has been hit by recent results.

With Manchester City and Newcastle United already out of the competition, and with either Manchester United and Chelsea set to bow out next, Arsenal have a strong chance of winning a competition in which they finished runners-up two years ago.

Form Guide

Arsenal

  • Last five (all competitions, most recent first): W L L W W
  • Last result: Arsenal 1 - 0 QPR

Reading

  • Last five (all competitions, most recent first): D L D D W
  • Last result: Reading 3 - 3 Fulham

Team News

Reading: McDermott is expected to field the same squad that started against Fulham at the weekend with the exception of midfielder Jem Karacan, who picked up a knee injury and is set to be out for up to six weeks. Meanwhile, striker Noel Hunt's appearance will be subject to a late fitness test.

Arsenal: Wenger, who is known over the years for giving his reserve and academy players a chance in the League Cup, is not expected to change that stance, with the Frenchman set to make a complete change to the team that started against QPR last week. Andrey Arshavin, Theo Walcott, Carl Jenkinson, Yohan Djourou, Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong are all set to start for the Gunners, so are some of the members of the U-21 side.

Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlian and Kieran Gibbs remain sidelined for this game, while Arsenal are also without the services of Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and Lukasz Fabianski. Meanwhile, Wojciech Szczesny could be back in the squad for trip to Old Trafford.

Possible Starting Line-ups

Reading (4-4-2): McCarthy; Cummins, Mariappa, Gorkss, Shorey; Robson-Kanu, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak, Roberts

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Jenkinson, Djourou, Miquel, Meade; Coquelin, Frimpong; Eisfeld, Arshavin, Gnabry; Walcott

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