Two London clubs go head-to-head on Tuesday as the Carabao Cup moves into the quarter-final phase with Arsenal's home clash against West Ham United.
Arsene Wenger's men have found the going hard in the Premier League recently, dropping out of Champions League qualification.
And they will have to face a rejuvenated Hammers side, slowly recovering after a disastrous start to the season.
| Game | Arsenal vs West Ham United |
| Date | Tuesday, December 19 |
| Time | 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
The Carabao Cup clash will not be available live for UK viewers, as no channel is carrying the broadcast.
In the United States (US) , ESPN 3 will be screenin all the action live, while subscribers will also be able to watch online via the Watch ESPN stream.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN 3 | Watch ESPN |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Ospina, Macey |
| Defenders | Mertesacker, Holding, Mustafi, Koscielny, Chambers, Monreal, Debuchy, Bellerin, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles |
| Midfielders | Nelson, Wilshere, Willock, Xhaka, Elneny, Ozil |
| Forwards | Iwobi, Sanchez, Welbeck, Lacazette, Giroud, Nketiah, Akpom, Walcott |
Theo Walcott has missed Arsenal's last two outings, but could return for the quarter final after recovering from a groin injury.
Shkodran Mustafi is also on the mend but will not be risked on Tuesday, while Wenger will also have to do without Aaron Ramsey who has been ruled out with a hamstring problem.
Potential Arsenal starting XI: Ospina; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Holding, Maitland-Niles; Coquelin, Elneny; Nelson, Iwobi, Welbeck; Giroud.
| Position | West Ham players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Hart, Adrian |
| Defenders | Masuaku, Zabaleta, Collins, Reid, Creswell, Ogbonna |
| Midfielders | Noble, Lanzini, Obiang, Arnautovic, Antonio, Kouyate, Rice |
| Forwards | Carroll, Ayew, Sakho, Chicharito |
With the Hammers still battling against relegation, David Moyes may well opt to rest several first-teamers at the outset of a busy festive season.
Javier Hernandez is one of the players who could benefit from rotation, especially if Manuel Lanzini sees a two-match ban for diving upheld, while Mark Noble is likely to miss out through injury.
Joe Hart is also set to start after losing his place to Adrian in recent weeks.
Potential West Ham starting XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Arnautovic, Lanzini, Obiang, Masuaku; Carroll, Chicharito.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Arsenal are 8/15 favourites according to dabblebet , with West Ham priced at 5/1 to win. A draw between the sides after 90 minutes at the Emirates is considered a 10/3 bet.
GAME PREVIEW
The Carabao Cup is decidedly not a priority for either of Tuesday's opponents. Arsenal are scrapping to avoid missing out on the Champions League for a second successive season and West Ham to stay in the Premier League itself, meaning the competition comes as somewhat of a distraction for both Wenger and David Moyes.
Nevertheless, the Gunners must keep focused against a newly rejuvenated West Ham, unbeaten in their last three Premier League outings as Moyes has steadied the ship.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have stumbled in recent weeks, winning just one of their last four league outings to slip down the table and out of the top four.
Another failure to reach the Champions League would be disastrous at the Emirates, making Friday's clash against Liverpool vital to their hopes.
A strong performance against the Hammers would give Wenger's men a boost, even if the Carabao Cup itself is treated with some apathy by players and fans alike.