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Arsenal lock horns with Premier League title rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday
Mikel Arteta is facing plenty of big calls when he decides his Arsenal starting XI for this weekend's crunch Carabao Cup final.
The Spaniard is bidding to win his second piece of silverware as Gunners head coach on Sunday after lifting the FA Cup in his debut season (2019-20).
There's hope glory at Wembley could be the first of a number of trophies this term but given the strength of the opposition, victory is unlikely to come easy.
Theoretically, you can only say five of his 11 starters have already been decided, provided there is no late injury news.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will start at the heart of defence, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice will look to control the midfield and Bukayo Saka will feature in attack.
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Outside of that, Arteta is facing several huge decisions, not least between the sticks. Second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has started every match so far in the competition but perhaps there's an argument that David Raya should get the nod.
Kepa played a big role in the elimination of Crystal Palace and was the hero in the shootout but incredibly, he's lost all five of the domestic cup finals he was involved in with Chelsea.
He missed the decisive penalty during the shootout defeat to Liverpool in 2022 and famously refused to leave the field when Maurizio Sarri tried to substitute him in the 2019 final against Manchester City.
At right-back, there's still hope that Jurrien Timber will be able to shake off his recent injury to start but if not, Ben White and Cristian Mosquera are candidates to fill the void.
At left-back, Piero Hincapie has been ahead of Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order but Calafiori has performed well in recent matches and has history against City after netting a rocket at the Etihad Stadium in 2024.
Eberechi Eze should start in midfield but there's a chance Kai Havertz could also enter Arteta's thinking as the No.10 or alternatively, the German could start ahead of Viktor Gyokeres in attack.
Then there is fierce competition for places at left-wing where Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are all candidates to feature.
Whatever starting XI Arteta selects, what's clear is he has a very competitive squad that is stacked with top-quality options.
Ryan Taylor is a London-based Football Reporter who has worked across Reach's National titles since 2018. After graduating from the University of Brighton with a Sports Journalism degree, he previously climbed the ranks of the Daily Express, where he also covered boxing, before joining the Sunday Mirror as a Football Reporter in 2023. Ryan has developed a strong track record for breaking news on the London football beat.
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