Arsenal's best-case Carabao Cup scenario with win over Brentford as Man City and Liverpool lose
Regardless of how the Carabao Cup is viewed, it's one of four avenues Arsenal can take to end their trophy drought. It's over three years since they last lifted a piece of major silverware and ultimately it's the clearest indication of success.
The Gunners themselves don't have the greatest recent record in the competition having not won it since 1993 in addition to losing three finals since 2011. Standing in their way of a place in round four are fellow Premier League outfit Brentford and manager Thomas Frank is dreaming of a trip to Wembley in early 2024.
«We'd like to go on a cup run. I'll put as strong as possible team out there,» he said. «It's very important that we do our best to see how far we can get. Arsenal look like a contender for the title, like one of the best teams in Europe at this moment in time. When they hit their high level they are very difficult to play against. They will be a very tough team to face.»
Since promotion, Brentford — particularly at home — have proven to be a tough nut to crack especially for the traditional 'big six' teams. However, Mikel Arteta's side can perhaps take confidence from their rather comfortable 3-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium last season.
Furthermore, they have emerged victorious in three of the last five meetings against the Bees — including in the Carabao Cup in 2018 — and could be facing them at the ideal time considering Ivan Toney, Rico Henry, Neal Maupay, Josh Dasilva, Kevin Schade, Shandon Baptiste, Ben Mee and Mikkel Damsgaard are all unavailable for selection.
Of course, Arsenal have their fair share of injury problems too with Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard among six senior players set to miss the cup tie. But if they can progress,
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