Arsene Wenger confirms David Ospina start for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest as he reveals FA Cup rotation

Ospina will also start in the EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Wednesday

Ospina is 'not happy and not unhappy', according to Wenger (Getty)

Arsene Wenger says David Ospina will start in goal for both Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round match at Nottingham Forest on Sunday and Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg at Chelsea, and admitted he may be finally put Ainsley Maitland-Niles in midfield.

Wenger also denied that a rotated team would represent a gamble for the FA Cup match, as his side begin their third defence of the trophy in four years.

“Yes he plays,” Wenger said of Ospina. “On Sunday and on Wednesday. He's not happy and not unhappy. He gets games and important games.

“I rate the players who will play as much as the players who played against Chelsea,” Wenger added when pressed on his team selection. “I don't see a difference with the guys who have played more in the Premier League than the guys who have played in the Europa League.

“It's true that some of them have a bit of a harder life as they want to play as well. I rate their contribution and I rate them as players as high as the guys who play. But I have to make decisions. That's the kind of problems that every manager has.

“Some players who played against Chelsea will play on Sunday. We have five or six players injured and I take this game very seriously and it is a difficult game. Overall we have Sunday, Wednesday and Sunday against Bournemouth. So we have four days between Chelsea and Forest so that is [not] quite ideal and after it will be shorter between Sunday and Wednesday but after we have four days again so I can rotate in a little bit in a soft way.”

Maitland-Niles played at left-back on Wednesday in the 2-2 draw at Chelsea, and Wenger said the 20-year-old may play in his preferred midfield position at the City Ground.

“It's a possibility. It's his preferred position but at the moment I have [Sead] Kolasinac out, [Nacho] Monreal out and I don't have much choice on the left side unless I play another young boy in Josh Da Silva. I haven't made that decision yet.”

Wenger also disputed the idea that Premier League clubs do not take the competition seriously.

“Last season we played [Manchester] City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final… When a team is not fighting to go down and think ‘do we have a chance to win the FA Cup? Or do we absolutely focus completely to stay in the league?’ Sometimes that can come in. But the big teams they go for it.”