Share

Wenger vows to attack Man City in League Cup final

London - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger vowed on Friday to take the attack to Premier League leaders Manchester City as he bids to lift the League Cup for the first time in his career.

Wenger has won the FA Cup a record seven times since he took the helm at Arsenal but has twice been beaten in the final of the League Cup, by Chelsea in 2007 and Birmingham City in 2011.

Now he faces the daunting task of taking on Pep Guardiola's free-scoring team at Wembley, who will be desperate to bounce back and win a trophy after League One side Wigan dumped them out of the FA Cup, ending their bid for an unprecedented quadruple.

Wenger was asked at his pre-match press conference what was the key to beating City.

"To first of all have a strong belief that we can do it, be well-organised and take every opportunity to go forward and play our offensive game," he said.

He acknowledged the threat from players such as Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne but said it was difficult to focus on shutting down individuals.

"One of the big strengths of Man City is De Bruyne of course, because he has become a very complete player," Wenger said.

"He is a modern midfielder for me, he can be decisive in the final third, he works very hard, he is right-footed, left-footed and he is a fighter as well so overall I am not surprised he has done well.

"They have so many players that you have to stop that it is better to focus on the team plan rather than on any individual."

Wenger said he was more motivated than nervous after a long career studded with success.

"I have the advantage that I've played many finals and I know how big a day it is... Wembley is always special because the stadium is divided in two," he said.

"It's a special day. No matter how many finals you've played in your life, it's always a special day.

"For us it's an opportunity. We'll play with all our regular players. We want to win it, we want our fans to go home happy."

Forward Alex Lacazette is unavailable because of injury and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is ineligible because he played in the competition for Manchester United earlier this season.

Wenger is likely to make a number of changes for the match after resting key men against Ostersunds in Thursday's Europa League match. Arsenal lost the game 2-1 but reached the last 16 4-2 on aggregate.

Wenger said David Ospina would play in goal, continuing his role as the go-to keeper for cup matches.

He said Mesut Ozil was likely to play and he would make a decision on Aaron Ramsey on Saturday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Mamelodi Sundowns 2
Sekhukhune United FC 0
loading... Live
Arsenal 0
Chelsea 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE