Arsenal guaranteed to be without six stars for Preston North End clash amid Gabriel injury wait

Arsenal are set for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup as the Gunners make the trip to Deepdale to take on Preston North End.

It has been almost eight years since the two teams last met, with Arsenal coming out on top in an FA Cup clash in the 2016/17 season, as the Gunners went on to win the trophy. In fact, Arsenal have not been beaten by Preston since the last time they face each other in a league clash, all the way back in 1960.

With Mikel Arteta's side the heavy favourites coming into the match, the manager will be hoping he does not have to call on too many of his main stars to get a result, with rotation expected amid a gruelling few weeks for the Gunners in multiple competitions.

Arsenal have had three games in the last 12 days, and after tonight's clash against Preston they face three more before the next international break in November. Coming up against Championship opposition and the opportunity to rotate the side arguably couldn't have come at a better time for the Gunners, especially with the number of players they have unavailable for the game.

READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Gabriel injury, Timber fitness, Lewis-Skelly and Odegaard return

READ MORE: Four youngsters start, new Oleksandr Zinchenko role, Arsenal predicted XI vs Preston

Arteta faces a decision on whether to rest David Raya in goal. He rotated the Gunners' No.1 for the last Carabao Cup tie against Bolton, but back-up goalkeeper Neto is cup-tied for the competition and so cannot play. Against Bolton, 16-year-old Jack Porter played, but we could see another debut against Preston for Tommy Setford, with the 18-year-old having joined from Ajax in the summer.

In defence, Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Jurrien Timber is okay - but it seems likely he may be rested after suffering from cramp in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Gabriel's injury during that match seems less serious than first feared - though he won't face Preston: "We're still assessing him. It doesn't look that bad at all. He was much better the next day. Hopefully he'll be fine. He's done some tests."

However, Riccardo Calafiori will miss the game and is expected to be out for a while with a knee injury. Two more players who have been out for some time are Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, who are out with knee and hamstring issues respectively.

And while Martin Odegaard looks to be well on his way back to first team action following an ankle injury, Arteta stated that "there are still a few more boxes to tick" in regards to the club captain's return.

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