Arsene Wenger will stick to his guns and send out his `alternative' Arsenal side against English League Cup holders Chelsea tonight. The Arsenal manager insists he will not let the considerable distraction of the Champions' League, let alone the League Cup, interfere with his priority of keeping Arsenal at the top of the Premiership tree for at least the next five years.
All his major stars except Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp will be missing for the Highbury derby against Chelsea, as Wenger is ready to risk exiting a competition that still offers the carrot of European qualification.
Bergkamp, recovering from a back injury which has sidelined him for three games, makes his return in what amounts to a fitness test for Saturday's even bigger London derby against George Graham's Tottenham.
The Arsenal boss is likely to give Argentine striker Fabian Caballero, his new on-loan signing, a debut run-out as a substitute for Bergkamp at some stage against Chelsea.
Striker Tore Andre Flo's incredible patience at waiting his chance for a regular starting place at Chelsea has been matched only by his impressive goal-scoring record since joining the club 15 months ago.
But, in the light of the likely long-term absence of record signing Pierluigi Casiraghi, Flo has now finally been given the chance to cement his future at Stamford Bridge.
Many Chelsea fans believed even before Casiraghi's sickening injury that Flo should have replaced a centre-forward who had hit the target just once this season in 13 starts.
While Dennis Wise starts a four-match suspension today, with Frank Leboeuf and Michael Duberry available after a ban, Chelsea are sure to make a host of changes to the line-up which played at West Ham.
Manchester United could face more problems from the Old Trafford pitch than from struggling Nottingham Forest in their fourth round tie. United boss Alex Ferguson has held further talks with head grounds-man Keith Kent and turf consultant John Souter in an attempt to get to the root of the problem.
Ferguson was far from pleased when the pitch, which was re-laid in the summer, cut up alarmingly during Sunday's goal-less draw against Newcastle.
Struggling Forest have failed to record a victory in their last nine Premiership games and only just scraped past Third Division Cambridge on penalties to book their meeting with United. But boss Dave Bassett believes victory over Ferguson's men could spark his side into life.
Bassett is ready to hand Dougie Freedman the chance to partner Pierre van Hooijdonk, with the former Wolves striker expected to replace 19-year-old Marlon Harewood.
But Forest will be without cup-tied striker Neil Shipperley and French defender Thierry Bonalair, who was sent off against Cambridge two weeks ago.
