{"id":921,"date":"2026-03-19T16:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/?p=921"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:25:16","slug":"arsenal-vs-man-city-should-kai-havertz-or-viktor-gyokeres-start-the-carabao-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/?p=921","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal vs Man City: Should Kai Havertz or Viktor Gyokeres start the Carabao Cup final?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Arsenal\u2019s long wait for silverware could come to an end this weekend when Mikel Arteta\u2019s team play Manchester City at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final.<\/p>\n<p>The Gunners haven\u2019t won a trophy since they claimed their 14th FA Cup in 2020, beating Chelsea in an empty stadium. Thus, the North Londoners will be desperate to get their hands on the winners\u2019 medals on Sunday, with this victory having the potential to be a catalyst for further trophies down the line.<\/p>\n<p>Arteta is likely to field as strong an eleven as he possibly can, although there are a few key areas of contention. Kepa Arrizabalaga may start over David Raya in goal, while the Spanish manager has to make a decision on who he opts for up front \u2013 Viktor Gyokeres is in positive goal-scoring form, but Kai Havertz is back fit and raring to go.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">&#x23f3; The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CarabaoCupFinal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CarabaoCupFinal<\/a> &#x1f3c6;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Arsenal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Arsenal<\/a> &#x1f19a; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ManCity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ManCity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/EFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#EFL<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CarabaoCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CarabaoCup<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XBIoRulhSp\">pic.twitter.com\/XBIoRulhSp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Carabao_Cup\/status\/2019342565775118459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for Viktor Gyokeres to start against Man City<\/h2>\n<p>Arsenal spent \u00a363 million on Gyokeres in the summer, and despite facing intense scrutiny, he has produced at a relatively impressive rate in front of goal this term. After opening the scoring against Everton, the Swede now has 16 goals across all competitions \u2013 an acceptable return to say the least.<\/p>\n<p>While he may not offer a lot in build-up, his ability to reliably get on the end of moves inside the box makes him valuable to Arsenal. Havertz is often found wanting inside the six-yard box, while Gyokeres has developed a knack for being in the right place at the right time, as he\u2019s shown with goals against Nottingham Forest, Burnley, Sunderland, Leeds, Atletico Madrid and Everton this term.<\/p>\n<p>Arsenal\u2019s clash with City is likely to be close and decided by fine margins. If Gyokeres can get on the end of even one chance inside the box, he could prove to be the difference maker. He\u2019s more likely to pop up with a decisive close-range effort than Havertz is.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p>\n          <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gy\u00f6keres brace sends Gunners nine clear! \ud83c\udfad | Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland | Premier League Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kF8NLfWwvBA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Not to mention, Gyokeres was outstanding against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, and in facets of the game you wouldn\u2019t expect. He ran the channels excellently, his hold-up play was superb and he was creative in and around Leverkusen\u2019s box. <\/p>\n<p>When a player produces this kind of performance days before a final, it would be a brave decision to then drop him for that showdown.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for Kai Havertz to start against Man City<\/h2>\n<p>If he\u2019d been fit for more of this season, Havertz may well have been the man Arteta called upon for big games. The German offers everything Gyokeres doesn\u2019t, and these attributes are exactly what is needed in a game against opposition of City\u2019s calibre. <\/p>\n<p>Arsenal aren\u2019t able to go long with Gyokeres up front, as the Swede is almost completely ineffective at winning these long balls. Too often, he grapples with the centre-back before losing his balance and ultimately comes out having lost the duel. <\/p>\n<p>With Havertz in the team, Arsenal have this crucial release valve. They\u2019re able to play over the top of the press to their striker and rely on him to win the ball before bringing others into play.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p>\n          <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kai Havertz FIRES Arsenal to Wembley! \ud83e\udd29 | Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea | Carabao Cup Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GzMyrjvn2og?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>On top of this, Havertz is capable of dropping into midfield and being the extra man in the build-up. If Arsenal want to control the game through possession against City, then the ex-Chelsea man\u2019s presence in the team is essential.<\/p>\n<p>To add to all of this, Gyokeres simply hasn\u2019t looked at the level against the best teams in the world. When starting against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and City, the opposition centre-backs have comfortably dealt with him and he\u2019s failed to get shots off.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The conclusion \u2013 start Havertz, bring Gyokeres on<\/h2>\n<p>Ultimately, both players are likely to get minutes. Thus, from a tactical standpoint, it makes the most sense to start Havertz and introduce Gyokeres at some point in the second half.<\/p>\n<p>The Germany international\u2019s current fitness level probably doesn\u2019t permit him to play more than around 65 minutes in a game of this intensity. That is the perfect time to bring Gyokeres into the fray. <\/p>\n<p>Arsenal can control the game and keep things tight with Havertz on the pitch, using the extra midfielder to stay compact and to dominate the ball and territory. They can then use Gyokeres\u2019 fresh legs and desire to constantly run in behind City\u2019s defence to try and win the final late on.<\/p>\n<p>This is the obvious ploy for Arteta, but it\u2019s obvious for a reason \u2013 he must do it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal\u2019s long wait for silverware could come to an end this weekend when Mikel Arteta\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}