On Wednesday night, Arsenal take on their London rivals West Ham at the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup fourth round. The Gunners beat Brentford in the last round a few weeks ago to set up this clash.
Having ended 2022–23 trophyless, the Gooners will be hoping Arteta and his side treat the clash with the seriousness it deserves. After all, winning the Carabao Cup is easier given that their main rival, Manchester City, who have won the trophy in 5 of the last 8 years, exited the competition.
Versus Brentford (in Carabao in round 3), the Spaniard fielded a strong line-up. Even if William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka were given the night off, first-choice stars like Aaron Ramsdale (at the time), Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, and Kai Havertz all started alongside quality players for a capable line-up, but it was disappointing that Arsenal only won by a goal.
Last season, Arsenal didn’t reach Round 4, so their reaching it is progress. And they can easily win it.
If Arsenal can go past West Ham, they may find themselves facing teams like Mansfield Town, Port Vale, Exeter City, or Middleborough. Going past any of these teams shouldn’t be hard.
The aim is to win the Premier League and the Champions League, but the Carabao Cup may also present the Gunners with a chance for success. Lifting in March could boost their confidence in the homestretch of the Premier League and Champions League.
That said, winning the Carabao Cup will start with Mikel Arteta fielding his strongest lineup tonight. Imagine Arsenal lifting the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, and the Premier League. Could that be the perfect statement for them, announcing they are now the real deal in English football?
Sam P
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Watch all the goals from the Sheffield game here – including Nketiah’s hat-trick
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