Manchester City face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, with the two teams – who are also battling for the Premier League title – in contrasting veins of form
Jeremy Doku believes that Manchester City will bounce back(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Jeremy Doku has warned Arsenal that Sunday’s Carabao Cup final will be a ‘good cure’ for out-of-sorts Manchester City. City star Duko was unable to prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from crashing out of the Champions League on Tuesday, losing 2-1 against Real Madrid to compound last week’s 3-0 thrashing in Spain.
The defeat means that City have now failed to win four of their last five matches in all competitions. Next up is a tantalising clash with Arsenal, who went nine points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table over the weekend.
Doku reckons that the Wembley showpiece can be a tonic for City, who face a season-defining run of games in three different competitions over the next few weeks. “It’s a good cure,” Doku said of the final.
“We’ll do everything to win that game and to win a trophy. The next four games are very important. We now have to recover for Sunday and go game by game.”
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After taking on Arsenal in their last match prior to the international break, City host Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4. Doku and his team-mates then travel to Chelsea before welcoming Arsenal to the Etihad for a potential title decider.
“There’s still a lot to play for,” the 23-year-old added. “We’re still in three competitions, three trophies to win. If we do that it’s still going to be a great season.
“Of course we’re disappointed with the Champions League. It’s always a nice trophy to have. But there are some lessons to take out of these two games (against Real). We have to recover well and we’re looking forward to the next games that we have.”
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Despite losing the second leg, Doku insists that City can be ‘proud’ of their performance, having gone down to 10 men in the first half when Bernardo Silva was sent off for a handball. “Playing against a big team like that, 10 against 11, and still performing like we did, still putting them into trouble, not every team can do that,” the Belgium international argued.
“Unfortunately we didn’t win but we can look each other in the eye and be proud of each other. We played well. We played well 11 against 11 and 10 against 11. We created chances.
“I feel like if we play like that every game you’ll put many teams in trouble. Some good things to take out of this game to the next one.”
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