Mikel Arteta suggests four Arsenal players who could feature against Portsmouth.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has suggested to Football London the names of four players who could play against Portsmouth in tonight’s FA Cup clash at Fratton Park.

The Gunners travel south looking to reach the last eight of the competition. Having lost to Olympiacos in the Europa League, Arsenal will know that this is now their only chance of silverware this season.

The Spanish boss has suggested that Pablo Mari, Rob Holding, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles will all play some part in the fixture.

All four featured for the under-23 outfit against Manchester City on Friday night – a game in which the Gunners lost 4-2.

When quizzed about Mari he conceded that along with the other three names mentioned, he needs game time and suggested that they could feature again tonight.

He told Football London: “I think he needs minutes like Rob, Reiss and Ainsley as well. It was a good game for them to the fitness levels tested and they trained today really well. They’re ready to play.”

It would perhaps represent a risk for Arteta to play Mari and the £25,000-a-week Holding from the start. The pair would certainly play central defence and that would mean dropping the experienced David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi.

Aside from the Olympiacos debacle, both central defenders have looked good in recent weeks and Arsenal need to get the win tonight.

It could be the ideal game for Maitland-Niles and Nelson to try and play themselves back into some form.

Neither have had much of an impact on the first-team under Arteta and against League One opposition they could be fancied to do well.

It will be interesting to see Arteta’s team selection and if it is a weakened team then it will be clear he is going full steam ahead to try and break into the Premier League’s top four instead.