Doncaster Rovers: Arsenal tie can be springboard back to form believes Andy Butler

Rovers head to the Emirates for a third round Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal on the back of three consecutive league defeats.

Butler thinks the ‘no pressure’ tie has come at the ideal time for Rovers and could allow them to rebuild their confidence – whatever the result.

“We can go to a big club like Arsenal and show what we’re good at,” Butler told The Star.

“Maybe that can give us a bit of confidence to prove we can do it in League One.

“We know we can do it. It’s just been fine margins where we’ve not been clinical enough in either box.

“We’re working hard at trying to rectify that and I know it’ll come good because we’re a good squad.

“This is a one-off game where we can play with freedom and no pressure of the league.

“We’re expected to lose if we’re honest. Arsenal are Premier League and we are League One.

“We’re not expected to win but it’s something we have to believe in.

“As a squad we know if we conduct ourselves and put across what we can do on the pitch, we will cause them problems.”

Butler has experience of a similarly imbalanced cup tie having featured for Scunthorpe United in a 3-1 defeat at Chelsea in the FA Cup in 2005.

He said: “It’s an experience. You can enjoy it.

“There’s not many times in your career that you can say you’ve played against Arsenal. Some players go through their entire careers without doing it.

“But experience shows you have to learn that you have to go in a game like this with no fear.

“It’s 11 versus 11 and on the day, it’s whoever makes the least mistakes.

“Arsenal are expected to win and comfortably.

“But we know, with the squad and staff we’ve got, we can more than challenge them.

“We all know our jobs inside out.”