Mikel Arteta would not give much away before Arsenal's League Cup trip to Fleetwood, and his two-word answer on Max Dowman was as guarded as it gets: “Let’s see.” Dowman is expected to start on Tuesday night, with Arsenal also preparing for a big Premier League clash against Liverpool this weekend.
Dowman's case for another start
The teenager has already scored 2 goals in 1 League Cup appearance, which is why Arsenal can look at this tie as more than a routine rotation job. He also has just 19 Premier League minutes in 2 appearances, so a start against Fleetwood would be a clear step up in responsibility.
Dowman impressed in the previous round with a brace in the win over Ipswich, and that kind of output gives Arteta room to use him again without treating it like a gamble. The response on Monday suggested nothing was being confirmed early, but the expectation around him has only grown.
Rotation around him
Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are in line for minutes after injury issues this season, while Martin Zubimendi is also in line for a rare start. Mosquera has 169 Premier League minutes in 2 appearances, Hincapie has 40 in 3, and Zubimendi has 108 in 6, which points to a side built around rhythm as much as rest.
Arsenal's predicted XI had Kepa, White, Mosquera, Salmon, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Merino, Eze and Gyokeres, but that remains only a projection until team news is official. What is already clear is that the Liverpool fixture makes rotation likely, and Fleetwood looks set to be the night where Arteta shuffles heavily without taking his eye off the weekend.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
