“Every decision has an impact,” reflects Arteta ahead of Carabao Cup final | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta affirmed that “every decision that you make has an impact” as he gave an insight into how Arsenal could line up against Manchester City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.

Having seen off Bayer Leverkusen in midweek UEFA Champions League action, the Gunners now turn their attention to their first cup final since 2020. They take on a Manchester City side looking to avenge their European exit, having fallen to a hefty aggregate defeat against Real Madrid.

Sunday marks the first time that the League Cup final has ever been disputed by the teams occupying the top two spots in the top-flight table, and with both sides still in contention to secure the domestic treble, it is shaping up to be a rather exciting contest at Wembley Stadium.

Speaking at Sobha Realty Training Centre on Friday, Mikel Arteta gave an update on his team’s fitness and provided insight into how he approaches squad selection ahead of a cup final.

Martin Ødegaard and Jurrien Timber could be back in contention for the Gunners on Sunday, though Arteta insisted that would be dependent on how they fared in Saturday’s training session.

“We have another training session, so the ones that are in contention hopefully can give us good news,” he said.

Kepa Arrizabalaga could also be afforded a starting spot between the sticks at the expense of David Raya, the 43-year-old revealed, noting that “we will see how everybody is and then we’ll make the decision.

“Especially if you talk to the goalkeeping coaches, they are very special because they are always different. It’s a position that is very specific. There’s a lot of history about that that is very related to how people have made decisions in the past,” the Spanird explained, “and when something different happens, it sounds different at least.”

But Arteta reiterated that he doesn’t think changing goalkeepers will make too much of a difference to his team’s performance on Sunday.

He told the media in his pre-match press conference: “We don’t have that feeling amongst players. We really trust our teammates and in that case especially when you work with the quality of keepers that we have right now at Arsenal.

“They play at the highest level with other clubs and they have the experience to deal with any kind of situation.”

Still, the Arsenal boss accepted that picking a squad for a cup final is difficult, “especially because everybody has been involved in the competition.

“On the last day, when you have the option to be at Wembley, not to give the opportunity for someone to be there is difficult.”

But it isn’t lost on the Spaniard that “every decision you make has an impact.

“You need to weigh everything, every decision, try to be as fair as possible as well and sensible, that’s it.”

Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday 22 March, with kick-off at Wembley Stadium scheduled for 16:30 GMT.