Arsenal coach Unai Emery insists he will field a strong starting XI for Wednesday’s EFL Cup meeting with Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners will be looking to reach the final four this week but must get past their local rivals after losing their first game in 22 matches at the weekend.

Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton has put the pressure on Emery’s men but they will take confidence from their 4-2 north London derby win over Spurs on December 2.

Emery has given youngsters the chance to impress in the EFL Cup so far but admits he is determined to reach the final four.

As a result, the Spaniard will be hoping to play the strongest XI possible, but he still has injury concerns in defence. He told reporters: “Our first idea is that we play with better players.

“You cannot use [too many young players] in this derby because the opposition is a very big opposition and this demands from us a big performance tomorrow.

“We can [maybe] use some young players because we think they can give a big performance and can help us to win tomorrow.

“We need to respect the opposition and play with a big motivation to win.” With home advantage, Arsenal are the slight favourites at odds of 2.40. The draw is 3.50 while punters can back Spurs to win at odds of 2.80. An exciting game is also expected in London and Spurs to win and both teams to score is 4.33.