PLENTY IN RESERVE

ARSENAL take on Chelsea in front of a sell-out crowd at Highbury tonight but the main question is exactly who will be playing.

Both teams are likely to field weakened teams and so fans may need the match programme to help them identify some of the faces on duty but the players will certainly know all about each other.

At least 38,000 fewer people were at Highbury when the two sets of players below, many of whom are likely to play tonight, met as the club's respective reserve teams clashed on 22 September in the Combination. The team sheets from that game could resemble closely those pinned up in the dressing rooms at Highbury tonight. Arsenal were 3-2 winners in September with Christopher Wreh (two) and Matthew Upson on target. Chelsea's goals came from Jon Harley and Mark Nicholls. The full line-ups were: ARSENAL: Alex Manninger, Nelson Vivas, David Grondin, Remi Garde, Steve Bould, Matthew Upson, Jason Crowe, Fredrik Ljungberg, Christopher Wreh, Gilles Grimandi. Alberto Mendez. CHELSEA: Dmitre Kharine, Nick Crittenden, David Lee, Neil Clement, Andy Myers, Dan Petrescu, Jody Morris, Eddie Newton, Paul Hughes, Jon Harley, Mark Nicholls. Steve Bould, injured against Dynamo Kiev last week, and Jason Crowe are the two names certain to be missing tonight. Crowe might be relieved his loan spell to Crystal Palace has just gone through, having been sent off seconds into his first-team debut after coming on as a substitute in the Coca-Cola Cup last season. Managers Arsene Wenger and Gianluca Vialli have been given the all-clear by the Football League to use 'squad-rotation' despite the belief in many quarters that this devalues the tournament. One of the reasons behind Coca-Cola not renewing their sponsorship of the old League Cup was the bad publicity generated last season when Arsenal and Manchester United field weakened teams in the early stages. Wenger did not send out his strongest team until Arsenal and Chelsea met at the semi-final stage of the competition last season. His selection policy proved unsuccessful, though, as Chelsea recovered from a first-leg deficit to book a place at Wembley. Arsenal v Chelsea (live on Sky Sports 2, 7.45)

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