According to the bookmakers Arsenal are clear favourites to win their Carabao Cup quarter-final with West Ham. They are not the team in form, however. After three matches without a win, the Gunners laboured to a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United on Saturday. The Hammers, meanwhile, have seven points from their last nine. One of those points came against Arsenal, and it could quite easily have been three.

Momentum counts for a lot. But quite how much it is difficult to determine before this cup tie, with both teams having to work out quite how much they are willing to prioritise the competition. Arsène Wenger knows as well as anybody the significance of a trophy in the cabinet. But a top four place remains Arsenal’s priority and, if previous rounds are anything to go by, an inexperienced team will take to the pitch at the Emirates.

Wenger has already confirmed Theo Walcott will return to the starting XI. He went on to justify what are expected to be several changes from the weekend, claiming the fitness of his players remains paramount. “Some players are a little bit on the edge,” he said.

“I think as well that we have so many quality players who did not start on Saturday, so you cannot say that you prefer to play a player who has played three games in six days to a guy who is at the same level and is completely fresh. The players who will start are basically all international players, so that’s why I think [squad rotation] makes sense. You have to show the trust and the confidence that we have in the players.”

David Moyes echoed Wenger’s sentiments almost word for word. “I have been fortunate enough to have been at some big clubs before and you need to win trophies,” he said.

“All the big clubs win trophies but you can’t go about with a 25-man squad and not give other players a game.

“So you will see all the teams make changes. Those teams will change again later in the tournament because they want to win trophies.” For West Ham, Premier League safety is the priority. At the same time, they are not in a position to turn their nose up at a Wembley appearance (nor can the former Sunderland manager). Moyes insists, however, that any selection dilemma has largely been taken out of his hands, due to the current limitations of his squad.

“The Premier League is a priority but do I want to get to a cup final? 100%, I really do,” Moyes said. “It would definitely boost the club. But with the run of games we’ve got at this moment, and at this time of the year, more important is our injuries and squad size. We don’t have enough players to make wholesale changes. I wish I could say that but I can’t.

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“I think the players are ready to go,” he went on. “They are in good spirits, we will pick them back up and wheel them out again and go. Maybe this group needs consistent football. We are still finding out about the players – who can play two or three games in a row and who is not so good at it. Who doesn’t look so good in training the day before but performs on the day of the game. Until you get to know the players and what they are really like it is very difficult to judge them.”

Of those likely changes, the most prominent could be Manuel Lanzini, charged by the FA with “successful deception of a match official” after he was awarded a penalty during Saturday’s win at Stoke. Mark Noble will also miss the game with a tight hamstring.

Returning to the side, meanwhile, is Joe Hart. The England No1’s absence from the team has coincided with their upturn in form but Moyes has been consistent in his reassurance that Hart will continue to make first-team appearances, and that starts with the game at Arsenal.

“I think Joe will start,” Moyes said. “I’ve said all along he’s a really good goalkeeper. Adrián has had some really good performances too, but Joe has a great level of experience and has been good around the place, he is ready to play.”