Mikel Arteta's project demands silverware and the Carabao Cup represents Arsenal's best chance of a trophy this season.

The Gunners have struggled in domestic cup competitions since Arteta's debut campaign, but they hardly needed to get out of first gear to progress to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals this term.

Arteta rotated his favorite XI heavily for routine triumphs over Bolton and Preston, but the Spaniard is unlikely to tinker too much for Crystal Palacevisit on Wednesday. This is a big game for the Gunners.

Arsenal are still short of a full-back but are otherwise healthy after Gabriel returned to the XI on Saturday. Here's how the Gunners could line up against Palace on Wednesday night.

GK: David Raya - Raya is yet to feature in this competition and Arsenal will deploy several youngsters in the third and fourth rounds. However, the club's number one is ready to start on Wednesday.

RB: Jurrien Timber - Arteta won't want to burn the Timbers before Christmas, but he has little choice but to start the Dutchman here. Teenager Josh Nichols could be on the team.

CB: William Saliba - The excellent Saliba continues to impress at the heart of Arsenal's defence, and he will be tasked with taming the in-form Ismaila Sarr in transition.

CB: Gabriel - Gabriel was back in the XI for the weekend and he made an immediate impression as he brilliantly blocked Abdoulaye Doucoure's goal-bound effort. The Brazilian could meet a familiar face in Eddie Nketiah on Wednesday.

LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - The Hale End graduate has started back-to-back games and looks relaxed. With Arsenal still short of several full-backs, Lewis-Skelly could continue in the starting XI.

CM: Thomas Partey - Partey can do the job at right-back, but his inclusion in the back line is not ideal for attacking balance. The Gunners are a far better side with Gana in the middle of the park, and he should return to the base of the midfield against the Eagles.

CM: Declan Rice - Arteta manages Rice, who played just an hour on Saturday, but the England international showed signs of returning to his best form in a month. With Partey in midfield, Rice could play a more advanced role on the left side of Arsenal's triumvirate.

CM: Martin Odegaard - The captain has endured a couple of disappointing outings on the spin and Arsenal often run out of inspiration when Odegaard fails to fire. Ethan Nwaneri is a candidate to start, but the Norwegian national team only played for an hour on Saturday and will be desperate to set the Emirates on fire with a scintillating cup performance.

RW: Bukayo Saka - Arsenal's star man on the right has been an unstoppable force this season and teams are making a concerted effort to slow him down. Arteta is hesitant to offer Saka a break, so he is likely to be involved from a midweek start.

ST: Kai Havertz - The Gunners forward's options have been questioned again ahead of the January transfer window, but it is unlikely that he will be on the pitch this winter. Havertz hasn't been great in recent starts, but will be preferred over Gabriel Jesus here.

LW: Raheem Sterling - Arteta could start using him. Sterling won't be in north London for long and certainly can't do much worse than what Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have produced of late.

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