Carling Cup, 4th Round Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

Everyone should be familiar with how these matches work by now. A solid team of experienced professionals watches a fresh-faced bunch of teenage mascots walk out onto the pitch with them, all smiling shyly like they've each just won a year's supply of Clearasil and tickets to see Miley Cyrus in concert, only for the oldies to realise these kids are not the ball-boys after all but are, in fact, Arsenal's players for the night – just as the ball slides into the back of their net for the first of a whopping load of goals. Really, how can this keep happening? Surely the old boys will clock on to the threat sooner or later and hatch a plan to avoid these endless rituals of precocious youth sweeping all before it? Well, apparently not. Sheffield United knew what to expect and yet lost 6-0 in the last round. Wigan are a class above the Blades, of course, and Zaki et al should at least have a better idea of how to stem the tide. Perhaps wunderkinds Ramsey, Vela and Wilshere will have to show grit as well as tricks this time. Rob Hastings