Football: Big Sam has the ammo for young guns.

Byline: ALAN OLIVER 

SAM ALLARDYCE has warned Newcastle United not to be fooled by the fact that Arsenal will play their kids in tonight's 60,000 sell-out Carling Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium, (writes ALAN OLIVER).

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will play unknowns like Nicklas Bendtner, Lukasz Fabianski and Lassana Diarra along with Brazilian Denilson, Justin Hoyte, Alex Song and one-time Glenn Roeder target Armand Traore tonight.

I believe that the wily Allardyce will counter this by making sure that the younger players in his own starting line-up will be his tried and trusted players and not fringe men like David Edgar and Matty Pattison.

My view is that when Wenger plays his second string, it puts the opposition under a lot of pressure.

And when Wigan "Reserves" beat United a couple of seasons ago in the Carling Cup, it was the beginning of the end for Graeme Sou ness.

But Arsenal are a lot different from Wigan and Allardyce, boosted by Saturday's win over West Ham, was in a fighting mood today, saying: "Let's go to war again and see how we go."

On the question of the Arsenal line-up, Allardyce added:

"Fabregas could be playing, and he's a kid.

"Arsene's kids have a wealth of experience, and if you're good enough, you're old enough. The experiences they've gained over the last three or four years means that whatever side Arsene plays, they'll be all very experienced in either Carling Cup or Premier League matches.

"That's why they're the best team in the Premier League at the moment."

Allardyce will be without Michael Owen, Cacapa and Mark Viduka because of the injuries they picked up against the Hammers on Saturday, while neither Emre, Joey Barton nor Celestine Babayaro are considered match-fit and Stephen Carr, Damien Duff and Peter Ramage are long-term injuries.

There is no doubt that Allardyce has got up Arsene Wenger's nose in recent seasons, with several notable victories at the Reebok Stadium, but the United boss has never beaten Arsenal on their home patch.

But the man who took Bolton to the 2004 Carling Cup final admits he would love to take his rebuilt United to the rebuilt Wembley in February.

But he knows it will be tough as United play in front of the biggest League Cup crowd they have ever faced, apart from their 1976 final at Wembley, especially as Arsenal have won all six of their home games this season - including Champions League victories over Sparta Prague and Seville without conceding a goal.

Adds Big Sam: "It's not the easiest place to go with the frame of mind they're in at the moment.

"Their performances are very good and always have been, but their points total was not what they wanted last year.

"This time, they've got both together at this stage of the season.

"It'll be a difficult night for us, but also one we can really go and enjoy after West Ham."

Meanwhile, Michael Owen flew by helicopter to Yorkshire yesterday to see one of the leading authorities in the country on groins and hernias at his clinic just outside Bradford.