Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will rotate his squad as the Gunners open up a fourth front in their quest for a first trophy since 2005 with an FA Cup third-round tie against Leeds United today.
Arsenal have the first leg of a League Cup semi-final with another Championship side, Ipswich Town, to look forward to next week and Wenger is convinced his side is also in the running for the Premier League title, with Champions League action scheduled to resume next month.
As a result, the Frenchman has decided to make the FA Cup his lowest priority, even though the famous trophy was the last to be placed in the club’s trophy cabinet, and he will therefore rest a number of first-choice picks, including forwards Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri.
That means Kieran Gibbs, the England international leftback who suffered an ankle injury, is likely to play for the first time since Dec. 8, with Emmanuel Eboue also coming in for the suspended Bacary Sagna at rightback.
“We will rotate,” Wenger said. “There are going to be changes, many changes. It will be good to have Kieran back and Eboue will play as Sagna is suspended. I cannot give you the team yet. I have somewhere in my mind that I will make changes, but I don’t know who will play, but I will certainly rest van Persie and maybe Nasri.”
Leeds, who won 1-0 at Manchester United at the same stage of last season’s competition when they were in the third tier League One, are waiting on the fitness of forward Sanchez Watt, who suffered a head wound against Cardiff City.
The teenager is on loan from Arsenal, but has been given permission to play against his employers.
As Leeds are involved in the race for promotion to the Premier League, their manager, Simon Grayson, could be forgiven for fielding fringe men, but that is unlikely to be the case.
“All the players in my dressing room will want to play in this game,” Grayson said. “Credit to them because they haven’t taken their eye off the ball and they can think about Arsenal now. It’s a great game against one of the best teams in the world and we’ll enjoy it.”
The two sides met in the 1972 final, with a goal from Allan Clarke sealing a 1-0 victory for Leeds.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two