Fleetwood boss Lawlor urges players to embrace Arsenal Carabao Cup tie without fear

League Two Fleetwood host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup fourth round, with a place in the last eight on the line. Manager Matt Lawlor has urged his players to treat the occasion as a reward rather than an ordeal.

“The champions are coming to town and they’re coming to our patch,” Lawlor said at his pre-match press conference on Monday. “The players need to be excited by it, not overawed by it. The respect is through the roof, but the fear can’t be through the roof.”

Fleetwood earned the tie by defeating Championship side Sheffield United in the previous round — a result Lawlor pointed to as proof his squad deserves to be on this stage. “We’ve had to go through round upon round of tough games, and none of them were easy,” he added. “To be able to represent the town on the national stage is amazing.”

The run to the fourth round has, however, coincided with a dip in league form. The Cod Army went unbeaten through their first six League Two fixtures, but since the Sheffield United win in September they have lost five of their last seven. Lawlor acknowledged the inconsistency while attributing it to the youth of his squad. “With a young group you get peaks and troughs. We need to level out a little bit more than we have done in recent weeks. It’s not from a lack of trying or effort.”

Arsenal arrive in Lancashire in formidable shape. Mikel Arteta’s side have won seven of their opening eight Premier League matches, sitting level on points with Manchester City at the summit. They also held Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League last week, taking seven points from three European games.

The Gunners have recent Carabao Cup pedigree too, reaching last season’s final before losing to Manchester City at Wembley, and will be targeting a deeper run this time around. For Fleetwood, Tuesday represents the biggest occasion in the club’s recent history — and Lawlor is determined his players treat it that way.