Arsenal given a Cup Rey of hope.

Arsene Wenger is confident Jose Reyes will be able to handle the pressure and expectations on his shoulders as he makes his full Arsenal debut in tonight's Carling Cup tie at Middlesbrough.

Arsenal were hoping for a pre-match boost as they awaited confirmation they will not face another trial by video after the melee towards the end of their weekend victory against Manchester City.

However, they must still overturn a 1-0 deficit in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg, with Reyes, just 20, set to lead their attack at the Riverside.

With Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp set to be rested, while Kanu, Sylvain Wiltord and Jeremie Aliadiere are unavailable, Reyes could be partnered either by 19-year-old David Bentley or 17-year-old Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.

Either way, with four Spanish international caps already to his name, Reyes will be Arsenal's main goalscoring hope as they attempt to reach the final with a mixture of young hopefuls and experienced veterans.

That is nevertheless a major bonus for the Gunners as Reyes was still a Seville player when this game was postponed last week, before he had completed his multi-million pound move to Highbury.

Wenger said: "At least we have Reyes now. It gives us a chance to score a goal - and maybe two.

"He has four caps for the Spanish team so he must be used to pressure.

"I have no question mark over his talent or his ability. What we want from him is to create goals and score them."