Arsenal will attempt to erase the painful memory of their embarrassing League Cup exit against Sheffield Wednesday when they return to Premier League action at Swansea City on Sunday morning (NZT).
Arsene Wenger's side have endured a frustrating week after the high of hitting the head of the Premier League table last Saturday by beating Everton.
The Gunners' stint at the top lasted just 24 hours but they will attempt to maintain the pressure on leaders Manchester City when they travel to the Liberty Stadium.
However, Wenger's side will head to south Wales still smarting from a dismal 3-0 League Cup exit at the hands of second-tier Wednesday in midweek.
The pain of that defeat was compounded by the loss of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Theo Walcott (calf) to injury, with both players out until the coming international break which means they will also miss next week's Champions League visit to Bayern Munich.
With Aaron Ramsey also sidelined, Wenger will be forced to turn to his fringe players including Alex Iwobi, who is in contention to make his Premier League debut on the right flank.
Wenger is keen not to move Santi Cazorla from the centre of midfield following the Spaniard's impressive run alongside Francis Coquelin.
Swansea will welcome Wenger's side with renewed confidence following their 2-1 victory at Aston Villa last weekend, their first win seven games.
And Swansea boss Garry Monk insists there was never any panic during that run.
"Each team will have a period where they will suffer and it's about how you deal with that. Winning games obviously breeds confidence but this group is very strong," Monk said.
AFP
