Arsenal v Reds: Big match preview

Liverpool resume Carling Cup duties tonight as the Reds go head-to-head with Arsenal at the Emirates.

The Reds booked their place in the fourth round of the competition courtesy of a hard-fought 1-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road, and Rafael Benitez's charges will be looking to build some momentum following Sunday's morale-boosting 2-0 success against Manchester United.
 
However, Liverpool will be well aware Arsene Wenger's young Gunners will pose a stern threat to their League Cup aspirations.
 
Arsenal eliminated West Brom in the last round to set up an enticing encounter with Rafa's Reds.
 
The two teams last met in this competition at the quarter-final stage in 2006-07 at Anfield.
 
Julio Baptista netted four times for Arsenal as the Gunners claimed a 6-3 victory in front of the Kop.
 
Arsenal were also victorious the last time the sides did battle in the League Cup in north London as they claimed a 1-0 win in October 1989.
 
Speaking in the build-up to the game, Benitez said: "This is a special competition in which you try to give opportunities to young players or players who are not playing. These things together make it difficult.
 
"The Carling Cup for the young players of Arsenal is always an extra motivation. To play away for us will be even more difficult but we have to be ready to do a job.
 
"We have to change the statistic and we will be really pleased if we win there for the first time." 
 
The opposition
 
Liverpool are likely to come up against a much-changed Arsenal in north London, with boss Arsene Wenger set to continue his policy of blooding talented youngsters in the competition.
 
The Frenchman made eleven changes to his starting line-up for the tie with West Brom in the last round, with his side featuring no fewer than eight teenagers.
 
However, Wenger has confirmed midfielder Samir Nasri and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will make their first appearances of the season for Arsenal after recovering from injury.
 
In the Barclays Premier League, Arsenal are a point ahead of Liverpool having played a game less than the Reds.
 
They go into tonight's clash on the back of a pulsating 2-2 draw away to West Ham United on Sunday.
 
The boss 
 
Arsene Wenger was something of an unknown quantity in English football when he took charge at Highbury in September 1996 but, over the course of the last decade, he has established himself as the Gunners' most successful ever manager.
 
The French coach did not enjoy a particularly distinguished playing career. Deployed as a defender, Wenger had spells with FC Mulhouse, ASPV Strasbourg and, later, RC Strasbourg.
 
Having claimed a degree in economics, Wenger went on to obtain a manager's diploma in 1981 as he was appointed as a youth coach at RC Strasbourg.
 
An assistant manager's job at Cannes followed before his first managerial stint came at Nancy.
 
He joined AS Monaco in 1987 and led the club to the league title in his first season in charge. A French Cup success followed in 1991 and Wenger was the man who memorably took Glenn Hoddle to Stade Louis II.
 
A poor start to the 1994-95 season saw him sacked by Monaco, but, a year later, he took up the reins at Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight, where he made an immediate impact leading them from the bottom three to the runners-up spot in just one season. He also claimed the Super Cup before Arsenal came calling for his services.
 
It's alleged former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, then the technical director of the French Football Federation, recommended Wenger to Arsenal and, on September 28 1996, the Frenchman was officially unveiled as the Gunners' new manager, replacing Bruce Rioch.
 
Arsenal finished third in Wenger's first season in English football before he masterminded a league and FA Cup double in his second campaign in charge, aided by several astute signings in the transfer market.
 
They won the double again in 2001-02 and the Gunners retained the FA Cup one-year later.
 
In 2003-04, Wenger's Arsenal went the entire 38-game season unbeaten to win the Premier League. Another FA Cup success followed in 2005, but they lost out in the Champions League Final of 2006, beaten by Barcelona in Paris.
 
In 2002, Wenger was awarded France's highest civil honour, the 'Legion d'Honneur'. A year later, he was granted an OBE for services to football.
 
Nicknamed 'The Professor', he was given the Freedom of Islington in 2004 and tonight's clash will see Wenger take charge of Arsenal for the 750th time.
 
The danger man
 
Samir Nasri will be determined to make an instant impression upon his return to action following injury tonight.
 
The French playmaker has missed the opening weeks of the 2009-10 campaign due to a broken leg sustained in pre-season.
 
Nasri enjoyed an impressive debut term at the Emirates having signed from Marseille in the summer of 2008.
 
After netting within 224 seconds of his league debut against West Brom, the 22-year-old bagged a brace in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United last November.
 
In total, he made 41 appearances for the Gunners last season, scoring seven goals.
 
Arsenal fact file
 
Arsenal are nicknamed 'The Gunners' due to the cannon on their club crest.
 
They were formed in 1886 by workers at Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory and were originally known as 'Dial Square'. They were renamed 'Royal Arsenal' shortly afterwards.
 
Their club colours of red jerseys are due to a charitable donation of kits and a football from Nottingham Forest soon after their foundation.
 
Arsenal's current home is the Emirates, which has a capacity of 60,355. They've also been based at three other grounds - Manor Ground, Invicta Ground and, of course, Highbury. As well as this, between 1998 and 2000, Arsenal played their home fixtures in the Champions League at Wembley.
 
David O'Leary holds the record for number of appearances for the Gunners (722) while Thierry Henry is their record goalscorer (226).
 
Arsenal have won 13 league titles, with only Liverpool and Manchester United having won more.
 
Their title success of 2003-04 saw Arsenal go the entire league season without defeat. Only Preston North End had previously achieved this, some 115 years earlier.
 
The Gunners have won 10 FA Cups and in 1992-93 become the first club to win both domestic cups in the same season. Liverpool and Chelsea have since matched this achievement.
 
They have claimed two European trophies; the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now Europa League) and the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup.
 
Arsenal have the most successful ladies team in the history of English football. They've lifted 11 league titles, 10 FA Women's Cups and 10 Women's League Cups.
 
Match Stats
By Ged Rea
 
In the last round Liverpool won 1-0 at Leeds with David Ngog scoring the only goal midway through the second half. In that game Glen Johnson, Albert Riera, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Jay Spearing and Martin Skrtel played their first game for the club in the competition.
 
Liverpool have lost only one penalty shoot-out in their history, winning the other ten.
 
In the last meeting between the sides in this competition Arsenal won 6-3 at Anfield. Julio Baptista became the first visiting player in 40 years to score four times in a game. He also had a penalty saved by Jerzy Dudek.
 
Only two Liverpool players have ever scored a hat-trick against Arsenal in London - Gordon Hodgson in the league in 1928 and Arthur Metcalfe in a 1913 F.A. Cup tie - both at Highbury.
 
Jamie Carragher has made 28 appearances in the League Cup for Liverpool and Steven Gerrard 20. They are the only two of the current squad to have played in more than five games in this competition.
 
In all competitions the two sides have drawn five of the last six meetings.
 
Liverpool have not won in their last 11 visits to Arsenal since recording a 1-0 win at Highbury in February 2000 when Titi Camara scored the only goal of the game.
 
The Gunners have appeared in six finals, winning two. Their successes came in 1987 against Liverpool and in 1993 they beat Sheffield Wednesday.
 
They last appeared in the Final in 2007 when they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea.
 
Arsenal's 2009-10 League Cup campaign began with a 2-0 home win over West Brom. Four of the starting XI played against Liverpool in last season's F.A. Youth Cup Final - midfielders Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin plus strikers Sanchez Watt and Gilles Sunu.
 
Arsenal are unbeaten in the last nine games in all competitions since losing 4-2 at Manchester City in the middle of last month.