Arsenal begin their quest for the club's first EFL Cup triumph since 1993 with a third-round tie against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates.

Unai Emery's side have enjoyed a positive week, strolling to victory against Eintracht Frankfurt and then coming from behind to beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

However, the Gunners ought to be wary of the threat carried by Forest, who beat a youthful Arsene Wenger side 4-2 in the FA Cup third round in January 2018.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up for the fixture.

Out: Alexandre Lacazette (ankle), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (suspended)
Doubtful: Hector Bellerin (fitness), Rob Holding (fitness), Konstantinos Mavropanos (fitness), Kieran Tierney (fitness)

> Click here to view Arsenal's full list of injuries and suspensions ahead of this fixture.

Emery may well use this game to hand new signing Tierney his Arsenal debut after the Scot returned to full training following a double hernia operation over the summer, but it is most likely to come from the bench, meaning that Sead Kolasinac is the only other option following Maitland-Niles's red card over the weekend.

The same could be said for Mavropanos, also back in full training following a groin injury, with the defender playing a full 90 minutes in a youth game against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, but once again Emery is likely to be reluctant to throw him straight into the starting XI, allowing for David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi - the same pairing which featured in Frankfurt - to receive another chance to play together.

Over on the right, Calum Chambers, a player often on the periphery of things at the Emirates, has forced himself back into recognition amid Arsenal's continued defensive struggles, producing an energetic and disciplined display during the win over Villa alongside scoring a vital equaliser.

Although not popular with some Gunners, Granit Xhaka has been a constant under Emery this season, with the Switzerland international playing a key anchoring role in midfield and, in turn, enabling the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, and in this case Dani Ceballos, to roam forward and link up with the attacking quartet. He must keep things calm and controlled against opponents who spooked Arsenal last time they played each other.

Following the success against Frankfurt, you would expect Emery to once again place faith in the club's promising array of youngsters - especially Bukayo Saka, who caused the German side a number of problems roaming in from the left-hand side, scoring an excellent goal to kill the game on 85 minutes.

Another youngster destined to start is Joe Willock, somebody who over three seasons has made 23 appearances for the Gunners, scoring four goals, and seems to be growing all the time, springing down the centre of the pitch to link up play and feed the ball in behind.

With the equally talented Reiss Nelson, who enjoyed success whilst on loan in Germany last season, occupying the right-hand side, Arsenal can boast an attacking midfield trio which can only get better with more game time.

Lastly, Emery ought to hand a rest to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - already with seven goals in all competitions this term - and keep him on the bench should he be needed, and instead hand another chance to record signing Nicolas Pepe - yet to truly fire for Arsenal since joining from Lille but whose goal from the spot against Villa may be the catalyst for more to come. A full 90 minutes against the Championship side gives the Ivorian a fantastic chance to further impose himself on this team.