Arsenal legend makes Max Dowman prediction and Invincibles comparison before Brighton EFL Cup game

An Arsenal Invincible has exclusively predicted to Sports Mole whether Max Dowman could start for the Gunners against Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup as he compared Mikel Arteta's current squad to the 2003-04 Invincibles team.

Arsenal welcome Fabian Hurzeler's men to the Emirates for Wednesday's fourth-round tie, where Arteta is expected to make an abundance of changes either side of Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Burnley.

One of those alterations could occur on the right wing, as Bukayo Saka was struggling with illness before the 1-0 win over Palace, while Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke have both been ruled out of the fourth-round clash through injury.

Additionally, Arteta has hinted that Ethan Nwaneri will be primarily used in a central role going forward, meaning that Dowman is the next best thing to Saka in the right-wing spot.

As a result, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes that the 15-year-old is a genuine contender to make his full debut on Wednesday, saying: "He could possibly start, definitely.

Ray Parlour backs Max Dowman to start in Arsenal vs. Brighton

"He’s been brilliant, absolutely fantastic. What I've seen of him so far is a really good young prospect. I saw him in pre-season against AC Milan and I went, ‘whoa, this kid's got something about him.’

“He probably could start. There will be loads of changes probably. I'm not being disrespectful to the League Cup, but you've got to try and be winning the Premier League and Champions League if you’re Arsenal.

“League Cup is a bonus, no doubt about that, but that's probably least of their priorities at the moment. It's all about keeping a healthy squad, rotating and giving other players an opportunity, because they might need it going forward."

Martinelli and Madueke will be two of six absentees for the Gunners on Wednesday, as William Saliba has also been ruled out of the contest alongside long-term absentees Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom are nursing knee injuries.

Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Saka have all been passed fit, but it would be a surprise to see either member of the trio start on Wednesday, where the likes of Nwaneri, Dowman, Piero Hincapie, Ben White and Christian Norgaard will likely be given chances to impress.

Ray Parlour compares Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad depth to 2003-04 Invincibles

The Gunners' exceptional squad depth has been highlighted all season long, while the 2003-04 Invincibles also had notable options in reserve, such as Parlour himself, Martin Keown, Edu, Cesc Fabregas, Sylvain Wiltord, Kanu and the late Jose Antonio Reyes.

The 'Romford Pele' is confident that Arteta can trust his second-string team to perform in the same vein as his big-hitters, just as Arsene Wenger did during Arsenal's historic campaign 22 years ago.

“In the Invincible season, we had people off the bench who could do a similar job to everybody else on the pitch," Parlour added. "Brighton will obviously look at this trophy and say this is worth winning. I'm expecting they'll put as strongly as they can against Arsenal, and it'll be a good test for the other players who come in.

“It will be like a Premier League game against Brighton, and that's what he needs to see so he knows he can trust the players. If they do have a problem in positions, they can trust the players coming in to do a similar job, like the Invincible team.”

Parlour also named the surprise Arsenal player who is no longer indispensable to Arteta, claiming that his absence through injury has 'not even been noticed'.

Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Online Casino.