The Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley is the biggest game of the weekend. And it’s a hard one to call, if I’m being honest!
I thought Manchester City played well with 10 men against Real Madrid. But I can’t see them keeping a clean sheet in this game.
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Arsenal have that swagger about them. They know they are good. Eberechi Eze likes playing at Wembley too. He scored in the final and lifted the FA Cup with Crystal Palace at Wembley last season. I think he keeps his place in the starting line-up for this game.
I have a feeling Mikel Arteta will go with Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres to form the attacking quartet for Arsenal with Eze. Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi will sit behind them in midfield.
The big decision that Arsenal need to make is whether they go with Kepa Arrizabalaga or David Raya in goal. Kepa has been first-choice in the Carabao Cup and I think they should stick with him. It’s only fair because he played well and got you to this stage.
But I must admit, Raya is world-class! The saves he made against Everton and Leverkusen, absolutely phenomenal. However, if I were the manager, I would still stick to my principles and choose Kepa as the keeper for the final. He’s not let the team down in this competition and deserves to start.
For Manchester City, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo start for sure. But who takes the third spot in attack? If Jeremy Doku is on the bench and you are losing, he can come on and change the game. I don’t see Rayan Cherki making such an impact off the bench. So I think Pep Guardiola could take that into consideration.
We can guess the Arsenal XI in 10 seconds but that’s never the case with City. The Premier League leaders will want this to be a dull game because it suits them. If it becomes end to end, City have a chance in my opinion.
If I had to pick a team, I would go Arsenal. However, that doesn’t mean it will be easy. We know Manchester City can play and if they get going, they can hurt any team.
I believe the quadruple dream is still very much on if the Gunners win this final. The Premier League is done and dusted, they have a good draw in the FA Cup and face Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final. I know they could face Barcelona or Atletico in the semi-final, but we all know how difficult they are to beat as a unit. So I’m not giving up hopes!
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City
Edited by Paul Merson
