LONDON — Arsenal, which suffered a humiliating Capital One (League) Cup quarterfinal defeat by fourth tier Bradford City last season, will again rotate its squad when Chelsea visits the Emirates in the last-16 Tuesday. Manager Arsene Wenger has used the competition in recent years to blood youngsters and field fringe players and did so when a second-string side edged out West Bromwich Albion in a penalty shootout in the third round. “I will rotate against Chelsea but play with a team that has a good chance to qualify as well. That will be the target,” Wenger told the club's website. Arsenal has not won the trophy since 1993 when it beat Sheffield Wednesday. It lost to Chelsea in the 2007 final and to Birmingham City at the same stage four years later. Adding spice to the tie is the Premier League positions of the two clubs, with Arsenal two points clear of its London rival at the top of the table. Wenger's team has a tough sequence of games coming up that will test its credentials as title contender. Arsenal hosts third-placed Liverpool in the Premier League Saturday and then, after traveling to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, it takes on Manchester United at Old Trafford. “You worry about fatigue a little bit but not too much. Sometimes when you play every three days you look tired and then in three days you are flying again. It goes a bit in cycles,” Wenger said. There are four other all-Premier League clashes. Manchester United, which came back from 2-1 down to beat Stoke City 3-2 Saturday, should prove too strong for struggling Norwich City at Old Trafford Tuesday. On Wednesday, Newcastle United entertains Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur hosts Hull City again, three days after a 1-0 league victory for the Londoners at White Hart Lane. Southampton also travels to Sunderland on Nov. 6. Championship leader Burnley will fancy its chances of causing an upset when it hosts West Ham United Tuesday. Burnley, which spent one season in the Premier League in 2009-10, has won eight and drawn one of its last nine league games and manager Sean Dyche said Saturday's home victory over promotion rivals Queens Park Rangers was its best performance so far. Two other second-tier sides welcome Premier League opposition. Birmingham entertains Stoke, while Leicester City takes on Fulham. — Reuters
