Arsenal now have their best chance of doing something they haven’t done since 2012

The Carabao Cup fourth round draw has been made, and Arsenal couldn’t have asked for much better.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been drawn away to Fleetwood Town of League Two for the midweek of Wednesday, 28 October. That’s a perfect opportunity to completely rotate the side, rest the key starters, and hand minutes to academy players — just like they did against Ipswich.

The Premier League game that follows that cup tie is one of the hardest fixtures on the schedule and one which they haven’t won in 14 years. Arsenal travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, 1 November, and they may well be going into that tie with their best players having a full week’s rest.

Arsenal haven’t won away at Liverpool in the league since September 2012, meaning they are without a victory in the last 13 attempts. The last time they did win there in the league, Mikel Arteta played the full 90 minutes in midfield that day. Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla got the goals on the day in a 2-0 win.

The hoodoo is long overdue being ended, and the cup draw has just handed Arsenal the perfect chance to do it.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have drawn Chelsea in the Carabao Cup that same week. That’s a tough tie and obviously considerably more intense than a trip to Fleetwood. If Liverpool want to progress in the cup, and they will, they may have to lean on key players in a way that Arsenal simply won’t need to.

That gives Arsenal a huge boost, surely, especially given how both teams are playing right now. Liverpool are still finding their feet under Andoni Iraola, and have produced a mixed bag of performances.

Fourteen years without a win at Anfield in the league. They might just have their best chance of rectifying that. It’s time.