- Paul Merson has made his prediction for the Carabao Cup final
- He expects the game to be close
- The match will be decided by a single goal.
Paul Merson has logged his prediction for the Carabao Cup final and it will not come as a surprise to learn which team he is backing to secure a victory.
With Arsenal, it is very clear what to expect in Sunday’s fixture. Mikel Arteta usually picks a similar lineup and his tactics have remained consistent throughout the season.
Whereas, there is an element of mystery surrounding Manchester City, as Pep Guardiola often makes changes to his team.
The manager made some surprising decisions when Man City travelled to Madrid earlier this month and he may have another trick or two up his sleeve, which hopefully pay off this time.
Guardiola has already announced that James Trafford will start in the final, so Arteta will very much remain in the dark regarding what he should expect from his team’s opponent.
Paul Merson predicts Arsenal to defeat Manchester City
Arsenal legend Paul Merson is struggling to work out which players will start for Man City, but regardless of their unpredictably, he reckons his former team will get the win.
In fact, Merson has even gone as far as saying that the quadruple is still a possibility for Arsenal, as they remain in four competitions.
He told Sportskeeda: “The Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley is the biggest game of the weekend. And it’s a hard one to call, if I’m being honest!
“I thought Manchester City played well with 10 men against Real Madrid. But I can’t see them keeping a clean sheet in this game.
“Arsenal have that swagger about them. They know they are good. Eberechi Eze likes playing at Wembley too. He scored in the final and lifted the FA Cup with Crystal Palace at Wembley last season. I think he keeps his place in the starting line-up for this game,” he continued.
“I have a feeling Mikel Arteta will go with Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres to form the attacking quartet for Arsenal with Eze. Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi will sit behind them in midfield.
“The big decision that Arsenal need to make is whether they go with Kepa Arrizabalaga or David Raya in goal. Kepa has been first-choice in the Carabao Cup and I think they should stick with him. It’s only fair because he played well and got you to this stage.
“But I must admit, Raya is world-class! The saves he made against Everton and Leverkusen, absolutely phenomenal.
“However, if I were the manager, I would still stick to my principles and choose Kepa as the keeper for the final. He’s not let the team down in this competition and deserves to start.”
Turning his attention to Man City, Merson said: “For Manchester City, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo start for sure. But who takes the third spot in attack? If Jeremy Doku is on the bench and you are losing, he can come on and change the game.
“I don’t see Rayan Cherki making such an impact off the bench. So I think Pep Guardiola could take that into consideration.
“We can guess the Arsenal XI in 10 seconds but that’s never the case with City. The Premier League leaders will want this to be a dull game because it suits them. If it becomes end to end, City have a chance in my opinion.”
Selecting his winning team, Merson added: “If I had to pick a team, I would go Arsenal. However, that doesn’t mean it will be easy. We know Manchester City can play and if they get going, they can hurt any team.
“I believe the quadruple dream is still very much on if the Gunners win this final. The Premier League is done and dusted, they have a good draw in the FA Cup and face Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final.
“I know they could face Barcelona or Atletico in the semi-final, but we all know how difficult they are to beat as a unit. So I’m not giving up hope!”
Merson’s prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City
Man City will need to attack quickly
As Merson has explained, Arsenal will prefer a dull game, but Man City have to try and make it as open as possible.
This means their passing has to be quick and the forwards must constantly be making runs to disrupt Arsenal’s rigid structure.
If City play too slow, this will benefit the Gunners and they will just be waiting for the chance to move ahead with one piece of play, which could ultimately come from nowhere.
Should the Citizens manage to score an early goal, that would be ideal as it would force Arsenal to get forwards, potentially causing gaps to open up which could be exploited.
