Mikel Arteta suggests Man City clash about more than just Carabao Cup | Football

Mikel Arteta feels victory in the Carabao Cup final over Manchester City can help his Arsenal side lift more trophies this season.

The Gunners are still in contention to win a quadruple this campaign, as they sit top of the Premier League table and are into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Arteta’s men are hot favourites to beat Sporting in the last eight in Europe, while they are also expected to get past Championship outfit Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

All of that is still to come, but first is the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday at Wembley against their chief rivals.

Arteta is looking to win just the second major trophy of his managerial career, after the 2020 FA Cup, feeling that it will make his other goals more achievable.

‘It’s a chance to make some history for the club,’ Arteta wrote in his programme notes, via Arsenal.com.

‘We haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, so it’s about time we did it again. That’s what we all want, to work hard and make our supporters proud.

‘When you get to these moments, these opportunities, you have to deliver on the day. Let’s play in the manner that we’ve done all year, all the way through the competition, enjoying matches in front of our people.

‘Whenever you have the chance to get over the line and win a trophy, it’s a big day. If we can do that, it will bring something very special to the team. It will add another level of conviction, belief and energy. To be able to share a beautiful moment always brings you closer to having some other ones that are also really, really positive.

‘We know the importance of that, so now it’s down to us, all of us – players, coaches, staff, supporters – to make sure we do it together.’

Manchester City remain Arsenal’s closest challengers in the Premier League, but with a nine-point difference their chances of catching the Gunners are slim.

Pep Guardiola’s team is out of the Champions League, but still in the FA Cup, so there is plenty to play for and the Spaniard thinks they are nearing their best form.

‘I have the feeling in many things we’re just underneath [our peak],’ he said. ‘We will flourish, I have the feeling that it’s close.

‘Other things we need a little more time until the people realise what we need to be strong in many departments but in most things we are close.’

Guardiola was asked if a win at Wembley could impact the title race, but was unconvinced, saying: ‘I don’t know. Winning helps just for the fact that winning helps [confidence].

‘But we can win on Sunday and then be bad in the league. I learned that in many competitions and many games with a short time of recovery you have to have the ability to forget and move forwards. Learn what you have to do better and this is what you have to do.’

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