Football London
Despite the tough tie, Arteta is expected to rotate his side heavily.
Hale Enders Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe could also get a chance to shine. Smith Rowe is yet to start a match since sustaining a knee injury in November's 5-0 win over Sheffield United. Nelson on the other hand has not started in the Premier League since project restart.
Both could give the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli a rest on the day against Liverpool. The latter two have come in for criticism recently for their finishing ability in front of goal and have looked as though they could use a break.
One other area where Arteta may look to rotate is the defence. The Spaniard's hand may actually be forced somewhat by circumstance. Takehiro Tomiyasu will join up with the Japan squad for the Asian Cup on Friday, making him unavailable for the game. Oleksandr Zinchenko meanwhile has a calf problem that saw him miss the New Year's Eve defeat to Fulham, and Jurrien Timber has been out since the start of the season with an ACL injury.
This could open up a space in the squad for a young full-back. Arsenal are lucky enough to have two highly-rated prospects coming through the academy right now in these positions. Lino Sousa is a superb left-back who has represented England at youth level, while Reuell Walters is another England youth international who can play anywhere across the backline.
Both have played in pre-season friendlies for Arsenal, but are yet to make their senior debuts for the club. The pair were among the three youngsters who travelled to Eindhoven for the Champions League clash with PSV alongside Ethan Nwaneri, but failed to get off the bench.
Arteta may feel that a home FA Cup tie is the right context to give one of Walters or Sousa their debut. He has shown a willingness to trust youth in the cup in the past, giving Charlie Patino his full debut at the stage at Nottingham Forest two seasons ago.
While the option of bringing in Cedric may be tempting, the fact that Ben White is managing a knee problem and Jakub Kiwior has failed to fully convince at left-back may convince Arteta to give one of Walters or Sousa a chance. Both are fantastic prospects, and with defensive numbers light, it may be the perfect chance to give them a try before Arsenal travel off to a mid-season training camp in Dubai.
