Wenger to pick young Guns

Arsene Wenger feels that the Carling Cup is still the perfect opportunity for his young Gunners to continue to impress for Arsenal as the London side take on Blackburn in the Carling Cup.

"It is a good opportunity for my squad to show how strong the players who didn't play against Chelsea are," he said. "The Carling Cup is more of a squad game, because we decided as a squad to go for every single trophy.

"I felt they were hard done by in the final last year, and I would like this team to come back and win the cup.

"My expectation is to qualify and go into the semi-finals, because we want to come back as well as we did last year,' he added. 'I believe in them, and it is good (for the fringe players) to show me 'we knock at the door and we want to play in the first team'.

"We use the competition for our players to grow up - but not only to grow up. It is also to show they are good enough to play in the Champions League and the Premier League."

Meanwhile, Armand Traore has been given the vote of confidence by Arsene Wenger: "Armand has gone from a useful boy to nearly an adult in football.

"I still think he has 10-15 per cent to grow experience-wise and to be completely ready for the Premier League but I wouldn’t be scared to play him. He has made so much improvement. He has matured his behaviour his attitude in training and he is completely a different person."