Arsenal could be in line to take on Liverpool twice within the next week, which could be a blessing in disguise.
Our side booked our place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a win over Leicester City last night, but now have the possible prospect of playing Liverpool in the next round.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are yet to qualify for the next round however, and will need to overcome the challenge of lower league side Lincoln City tonight to be confirmed as our opponents.
Arsenal are already set to travel to Anfield on Monday to take on the Premier League champions in the league, with the prospected cup clash supposed to be completed next week also (I would expect Thursday night with Monday’s fixture already scheduled).
Our opponents may well have a point to prove having lost to our side on both of our last encounters, with us securing the Community Shield last month, as well as beating them at the Emirates on July 7.
Under Mikel Arteta, we have seen our side rise to the big occasions, and the bigger the task at hand, the better the performance has been.
The coach has fired us to win the FA Cup despite having to beat Manchester City and Chelsea in the semi-final and final, and the opportunity to take on Liverpool in consecutive matches could be the impetus to focus our players’ minds for the season ahead.
While we currently retain a 100% record this term in all competitions, our wins in the league over West Ham and Fulham were far from perfect, although we were much more organised in the cup.
The opportunity to take on our rivals could well pose us with the perfect task to gain focus for the job in hand, and knocking them out of the cup would also be a huge statement of intent, while giving us the chance to dent their confidence also.
Full draw for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup (as stated on TalkSPORT):
Lincoln City/Liverpool v Arsenal
Burnley v Manchester City/Bournemouth
Brentford v Fulham
Everton v West Ham
Bristol City/Aston Villa v Stoke City
Leyton Orient/Tottenham v Chelsea
Newport County v Newcastle United
Brighton v Manchester United
Will Liverpool be the ones more frustrated by having drawn us, than the other way around?
Patrick
