Ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, several of our Gunners have been looking ahead to the clash with Manchester City as we bid to win silverware at Wembley.
We haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, when we beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at the old Wembley Stadium, and now, 33 years on, we’ll be looking to recapture the trophy.
Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Kai Havertz will all feature in their first major final as a Gunner, and all four players have been talking about what the occasion will mean.
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“I’ve been involved in some finals (for Arsenal), but I didn’t play,” Bukayo said, “so this is going to be my first. I’ve come through the academy and to be in this position now, I’m very excited at the prospect of winning at Wembley.”
Bukayo was part of the squad that met Chelsea in both the 2019 Europa League final and the 2020 FA Cup final, so while our no.7 has been involved in a cup final win, Sunday will be his first opportunity to take to the pitch in such a game.
“This was like my wildest dream. As a kid, I wanted to play for Arsenal and just enjoy it, for me, that was enough. But I do love the club, so it’s time to win some big things.
“I feel like this year, we have such a strong belief that we can do it. We have quality, we have a great squad, and I think that mix is what’s making me believe.”
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Ben sees our Carabao Cup run as one big journey, with Sunday the final piece in the hopefully trophy-shaped puzzle.
“It’s going to be amazing,” the defender said on our official podcast The Dispatch“a lot of work has gone into getting to where we are, and we’re looking to finish it off. It’s a cup I’ve played a lot of games in this season, so it’s nice to get to the end and having a chance of getting some silverware.”
As well as the chance to capture our first trophy of the season, Ben is looking forward to playing in the famous Wembley atmosphere in a high-stakes game.
“The atmosphere is obviously going to be amazing. We know what it means to win, but we know what we need to do, just believe in ourselves and hopefully get over the line.
“When there’s a bit of pressure on the line, that’s when the top, top players come out, and the top teams. I believe that we are (one of those teams), so it’s exciting for us.”
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Kai is no stranger to a cup final having played and scored in silverware showdowns earlier in his career, but even to someone with his experience of finals, Wembley is a special place to play.
“In general it’s always nice because you have the split in the stands,” Kai said, also speaking on The Dispatch. “One (whole) side is red; as a player it’s amazing when you see your fans in the stadium and the other side is the away team. It just shows it’s a final; Wembley has so much history.”
Asked about his motivation to deliver on such occasions, Kai opened up on his own personal motivations.
“I’ve worked all my life to play these kind of games. I would never put pressure on my shoulders. It’s just about going out and enjoying it because you don’t have a lot of games like this to play in your career.”
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