Today at 3:00 p.m. ET, West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal get together for a clash in Round 3 action of the 2013 Capital One Cup live from The Hawthorns in England. The game can be live streamed here.
Arsenal will be without winger Theo Walcott for three weeks due to stomach surgery and will prepare to face West Brom without him. Walcott withdrew himself from a match last week and later found out that he needed the stomach surgery and will now be sidelined, Arsenal said in a statement.
"Theo Walcott will have a minor procedure on his abdomen in Germany on Wednesday which will keep him out of action until after the next international break," the statement from Arsenal read per ESPN.
The injury proves to be a big detriment for Arsenal as the team has relied on Walcott in the absence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger noted that the procedure is so minor that they can have Walcott start his rehab program directly following it, while also noting that the team is hoping that the prognosis is right and Walcott can return on Oct. 19 when Arsenal battles Norwich.
"Theo will be out for a few weeks," Wenger told ESPN. "He has developed some damage to his posterior abdominal wall. It's not a hernia, but it's a little structural problem in his abdomen. He will have the procedure in Germany on Wednesday and, because it's so minor, we can begin his rehab immediately. We are pleased it's being dealt with quickly and he shouldn't miss too many Arsenal matches. But he will miss the forthcoming international matches with England."
With Walcott sidelined, Arsenal hopes that the dazzling play of Mesut Ozil will continue to help fill the hole in the roster. Arsenal, which hasn't had a trophy in nine years, sits atop the Barclays Premier League after seven-straight victories for the club.
Wenger will look to play young players Nicklas Bendtner, Emiliano Viviano and Ryo Miyaichi during today's game since his club has three games in the next seven days. Mikel Arteta may also start his first game of the season after coming off the bench as a substitute last game as he makes his way back from a thigh injury.
West Brom assistant coach Kevin Keen believes his team has a real chance this year to make a Cup run after a disappointing finish last season. Albion was eliminated in the third round of last year's Capital One Cup and is hoping for a better fate this year.
"A cup run would be fantastic," Keen told ESPN. "Certainly getting anywhere near the final makes it really exciting."
Keen hopes the summer imports of Nicolas Anelka, Scott Sinclair, Stephane Sessegnon and Victor Anichebe will make his club strong enough to overcome the obstacles it faces throughout its campaign.
"The club gave us a couple of gold nuggets on deadline day and we hope we can produce some good football and score the goals which will enable us to win games," Keen said, according to ESPN. "We will have a real go at it and we want to win things for the supporters. They want us to play in the semi-finals and go to Wembley and the players want to be remembered for winning things."
Keen also added that Arsenal "are under a bit of pressure," due to their lack of trophies in the last few years, but also noted that they're still a club that his team has to respect coming into it, and he praised Arsenal's manager.
"You can't knock Arsene's achievements," he told ESPN. "He has been magnificent and has been working under financial restrictions and they have come through that. With Mesut Ozil joining, they are going to be up there."
Arsenal will look to prove that it can win even without Walcott while West Brom is hoping to make its supporters happy with a third-round victory when these two teams lock horns this afternoon.
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