Nicklas Bendtner
Nicklas Bendtner is set to make his first Arsenal appearance in over two years (Arsenal.com)

Arsenal face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday, with the Gunners choosing to omit majority of their first team players from the squad that travelled the West Midlands.

Where to Follow Live

Kick-off is set for 8pm BST. There is no live television coverage of the match in the UK but you can follow the action on BBC Radio 5 Live. Watch the highlights of the game on League Cup Show on BBC One and BBC One HD at 11.05pm.

Overview

Arsenal have gotten off to a near-perfect start this season, with seven wins from their eight matches in all competitions so far. The Gunners are currently at the top of the Premier League table, level on points with archrivals Tottenham Hotspur. Arsene Wenger's men also started their Champions League campaign on a positive note, winning 2-1 at Marseille last midweek and are now on a seven-game winning streak.

Wenger has opted to leave most of his regular starters in north London for this clash, with the visit of Napoli in the Champion League and trips to Swansea and West Brom in the Premier League, all coming up in the next 10 days. As a result, Per Mertesacker, Mathieu Flamini and Serge Gnabry are the only players in the travelling squad, who started against Stoke City at the weekend.

Gnabry could still be saved for the upcoming big games, as Theo Walcott joined fellow wingers Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla on the sidelines, leaving Wenger with no recognized seniors players for the role. Stand-in captain Mertesacker also seems unlikely to start, while striker Nicklas Bendtner is set to make his first Arsenal appearance in over two years.

West Brom, on the other hand, are 14th in the league table and have found some form of late, managing a 1-1 draw at Fulham a week ago and beating Sunderland 3-0 at the Hawthorns this weekend. The Baggies had seen off competition from fourth tier side Newport County 3-0 last month to reach the third round of the League Cup, with 20-year-old striker Saido Berahino scoring a hat-trick.

Steve Clarke will keep an eye the trip to Old Trafford scheduled for this weekend in the league, when he names the line-up for this match but is still expected to field a balanced squad, in the hope of pulling off an upset.

What Managers/Players Say

Clarke: "Arsenal at home is a difficult game but we can be dangerous underdogs. As a team the last two performances have been good. I've got a nice squad. I've got players who need to play and players who want to play. It's up to me to get the right mix on the pitch."

Gnabry: "This competition has done a lot because it gives young players a chance, especially at Premier League clubs. I think we can win it because we've got good players. We are obviously young but it's not about age. I think we have a chance."

Form Guide

Arsenal

  • Last Five Games: (most recent first): W W W W W
  • Last Match: Arsenal 3 - 1 Stoke City

West Brom

  • Last Five Games: (most recent first): W D L W D
  • Last Match: West Brom 3 - 0 Sunderland

Team News

West Brom

  • Injured: Foster (foot), Vydra (hamstring), Reid (calf), Gera, Thorne (both fitness)
  • Doubtful: Brunt (groin), Long (hamstring)
  • Suspended/Ineligible: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-4-2): Camp; Jones, Dawson, Lugano, Popov; Brunt, Mulumbu, Yacob, Sessegnon; Berahino, Anichebe

Arsenal

  • Injured: Cazorla (ankle), Podolski (hamstring), Rosicky (thigh), Walcott (hip),Chamberlain (knee), Sanogo (back), Diaby (knee), Zelalem (unspecified)
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended/Ineligible: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Bellerin, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Monreal; Flamini, Arteta; Ryo, Olsson, Akpom; Bendtner

London