Why is Neto NOT playing for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup? Goalkeeper’s absence explained
ARSENAL take on League One Bolton in the third round of the Carabao Cup TONIGHT.
The Gunners go into the clash on the back of a gruelling 2-2 draw away at Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta‘s men were seconds away from a monumental victory at the Etihad after playing the whole of the second half with ten men.
But super sub-John Stones came off the bench to deny Arsenal from claiming all three points.
The Gunners put in a huge shift as City had the man advantage – and there are sure to be a few bumps and bruises in the camp ahead of Wednesday night’s game.
Goalkeeper David Raya was seen limping out of the Etihad on Sunday and had his knee bandaged up.
Should the Spainard not be available for the Bolton clash, Arteta will have a selection headache with Brazilian shot-stopper Neto also unavailable between the sticks.
Why is Neto not playing for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup?
Neto joined Arsenal on a season-long loan from Premier League rivals Bournemouth in the summer.
The Gunners were in the market for a backup goalkeeper after Aaron Ramsdale made the switch to Southampton in August.
Neto may be waiting a long time to make his Gunners debut as the Brazilian will not be able to feature for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.
This is because the former Barcelona and Juventus keeper is CUP-TIED for the competition.
Neto started between the sticks in Bournemouth’s 1-0 loss to West Ham in the Carabao Cup second round, meaning he can’t represent another team in the tournament this season.
With the Bournemouth loanee unavailable and Raya potentially injured, Arteta has a dilemma ahead of tonight’s cup clash.
Third-choice goalkeeper Tommy Setford also appears to be on the sidelines, having not been named in the squad since the international break.
This means Aretea could be forced to start 16-year-old shot-stopper Jack Porter for the Carabao Cup tie.
Porter was on the bench for Arsenal’s 0-0 draw away at Atlanta in the Champions League last week.
He’s played six games for Arsenal’s U18s and one for the U21s.
Porter has also featured four times for England‘s U16 side.
How to watch Arsenal vs Bolton
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Bolton will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+.
Subscribers of the full Sky Sports package will be able to access Sky Sports+ at no extra cost.
You can find Sky Sports+ on Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the revamped Sky Sports mobile app.
Just select the game you want to watch on the homepage, which will show all current live matches available to stream and enjoy.
You can also press the microphone button on your Sky remote, and then say the name of your club, and it will show what games are available.
Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action from the Emirates by following SunSport’s live blog.