Carabao Cup Winner: Why Arsenal scream value at 6.6 on Exchange

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·27 October 2025

Carabao Cup Winner: Why Arsenal scream value at 6.6 on Exchange

EFL Cup

Lewis Jones says back Arsenal for the Carabao Cup

OneFootball Videos

Fresh from advising a winning 6/4 double in last weekend's Notebook on Micky van de Ven and Joe Rodon's shots lines (they both scored which paid over 200/1 on the anytime double), Lewis Jones now makes a case to back Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup at 15/2...

Arsenal might not have carried the tag "cup specialists" in recent seasons but the 6.6 on offer for them to lift the Carabao Cup with Betfair Exchange looks every inch a price that underestimates Mikel Arteta's side.

Yes, it's been a while since the Gunners made a real statement in a cup competition but betting is about looking to the future and securing value, not history. And when you analyse Arsenal's squad depth, motivation levels and pathway to potential glory, the current market appears a touch dismissive for a team that are odds-on to win the Premier League.

Why now is the time to trust Arsenal in cup competitions

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are built for the grind of a long season. They're not just a starting XI, they're a 20-man rotation of genuine quality. When other top sides use the Carabao Cup to blood youngsters or rest key names, Arsenal can field their "B team" that still looks top-six Premier League standard.

We're talking about players like Christian Norgaard, Piero Hincapié, Ethan Nwaneri, Ben White and Mikel Merino, all of whom are capable of starting Premier League games. Add in the next generation of Hale End graduates eager to impress, like Max Dowman, and you've got a blend of freshness and familiarity that's tailor-made for these midweek knockout nights, starting on Wednesday night in the fourth round against Brighton.

Arteta has built a squad where the drop-off from first-choice to backup is minimal and that's a crucial ingredient in a competition often decided by the strength of your second string.

Also, one of the more underrated aspects of Arteta's coaching is how controlled his Arsenal side play. This isn't a helter-skelter pressing machine like classic Jurgen Klopp's early Liverpool, it's a possession-based, territorial system built to dominate the ball, manage tempo and reduce chaos.

That style doesn't just win matches, it protects legs. It's a setup perfectly suited for a Carabao Cup run.

Arsenal can rotate intelligently, win without emptying the tank, and still have enough in reserve to attack the business end of the tournament with their top performers fresh and ready.

Arteta needs a trophy, and he knows it

For all of Arsenal's progress under Arteta, tangible success has been limited since that 2020 FA Cup triumph. This season, with expectations sky-high and a fanbase hungry for silverware, the Carabao Cup represents an achievable, meaningful target. There is every reason for Arteta to throw some of the big chips in for this competition.

A trophy like this can shift the narrative. It can actually galvanise a title challenge and help a European campaign. It can prove that Arsenal's project isn't just about pretty patterns and promise, it's about trophies. Winning breeds winning.

Arteta is too astute not to recognise that. I'm fully expecting him to take this competition seriously, especially once Arsenal reach the latter stages.

The outright market's too anchored to old narratives. Arsenal's "B team" could beat half the Premier League and when Arteta decides to go full strength, they'll take some stopping.

If they find themselves in a semi-final, don't be surprised to see Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and William Saliba back in the mix.