Arsenal guaranteed to have at least two players back vs Leicester as Arteta waits on Raya injury

Arsenal came through their Carabao Cup third round clash against Bolton in some style. An early opener from Declan Rice was followed up by a brace from Ethan Nwaneri either side of half time. The visitors were able to pull one back, but Raheem Sterling restored the three goal advantage minutes later before Kai Havertz rounded off the scoring for the night.

It was a great evening for the Arsenal academy. Four first-team debuts were handed out as seven academy products featured across the course of the night.

“We gave the opportunity to quite a lot of academy players, they responded really well and it’s just so fulfilling to see their faces, their reaction, how much it means to them,” Mikel Arteta said after the game. “So, great night.”

As much as the Gunners will have been delighted to blood their stars of tomorrow in such positive circumstances, there will be some concerns as they head into this weekend’s fixture with Leicester City. Part of the reason so many academy players were involved in the matchday squad was the ever-growing absentee list in the first team.

Before the match it was guaranteed that Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko would all be out with injury. To add to that David Raya was forced to sit the game out with a thigh problem.

With back up goalkeeper Neto cup tied after playing in the Carabao Cup for Bournemouth earlier this season, this opener the door for Jack Porter to become the youngest starter in Arsenal history. While it was a great night for Porter, concerns still remain over Raya’s availability for Leicester.

“We don’t know yet,” Arteta said on whether the Spanish international would be fit for the game. If he is absent, Arsenal will at least be able to field a more senior option between the sticks with Neto back available for the Premier League.

The Spaniard will also see his options bolstered by the return of Leandro Trossard. The Belgian forward was sent off in controversial circumstances on Sunday as Arsenal drew 2-2 with Manchester City.

Although that took place in a Premier League match, Trossard served his one game suspension in the Carabao Cup clash with Bolton. He will now be available to face Leicester again.

The 29-year-old could have his work cut out getting a place back in the team though after a superb display from Raheem Sterling on Wednesday night. Gabriel Martinelli also looked good against Man City, with competition in the final third fierce at the Emirates Stadium.