The League Cup is reaching a pivotal period of the competition, as the semi-finalists in one of the English domestic cup competitions will be decided this week. One of the biggest ties of the round will take place at the Emirates, as Arsenal will be looking to put their dismal league form behind them against the reigning champions Manchester City.
League Cup Preview
Manchester City have dominated in the League Cup over the past three years, as they have won ever instalment of this competition since the 2017-18 season. City’s record is outstanding since 2010 in this competition, as they have won the League Cup on five occasions. Arsenal haven’t won this competition since the 1992-93 season, but have achieved recent domestic cup success under Mikel Arteta as they won the 2019-20 FA Cup.
The Gunners will be considered long shots to win the League Cup this season, as their form in the Premier League has been disastrous. There is already huge pressure on Arteta this season, and the Gunners will be the massive 3.64 outsiders with BetXChange to win on Tuesday night. However, they have saved some of their best performances for this competition so far this season. The Gunners got through in the third round by beating Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium, before then coming up against Liverpool in the most recent round. Arsenal defied the outsiders tag at Anfield to go through, as the match was decided from the penalty spot after a 0-0 draw.
Manchester City haven’t needed to get out of second gear in the League Cup so far this season, as they have breezed past both previous opponents that they have faced. Guardiola’s side overcame Bournemouth in the only game that they have played at the Etihad so far in the competition, as they beat the Championship side 2-1. It was a more routine outing for City in the fourth round, as they sealed a 3-0 win against Burnley. Raheem Sterling scored twice in that win, while Ferran Torres also got his name on the score sheet.
Arsenal vs Manchester City Recent Meetings
These two sides have met in domestic cup competitions on a number of occasions in the past couple of years. Arsenal won the most recent cup meeting between the sides, as they won the semi-final clash against City 2-0. The Gunners have won the only other meeting between the sides in the FA Cup in the past three years back in 2017 too. However, the last time that Arsenal and City played in the League Cup was in 2018, with the Citizens winning 3-0. Guardiola’s side have also won the last seven Premier League meetings against the Gunners.
Arsenal vs Manchester City Picks
This will be a massive challenge for the Gunners, but a win in this game could build the confidence that they need to move up the table. However, it’s extremely difficult to look past City due to the form that they have shown in this competition over recent years.
