As Arsenal gets ready to meet Crystal Palace in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, manager Mikel Arteta thinks his team’s pursuit of the Premier League title may be further bolstered by winning the League Cup.
Arsenal has lost to Manchester City in the last two seasons as they attempt to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
With 30 points from 16 games, the north London team is presently in third place in the rankings, six points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game to go.
Despite winning the FA Cup in the 2019–20 season, Arteta is yet to win the League Cup since taking over Arsenal in December 2019.
“It brings belief, trust and positive energy. Beating someone in the semi-final and final generates that energy and creates the right path to go and do something else,” Arteta told reporters on Tuesday.
Arsenal and Palace will play back-to-back games; the other matchup is a Premier League match on Saturday at Selhurst Park.
Despite being in 15th place in the Premier League, Oliver Glasner’s Palace has won five straight games in the top flight, most recently against bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
“It’s always really tough. It’s another layer of difficulty particularly when you play a team twice in a row,” Arteta said.
Declan Rice, the defensive midfielder who was sent off in the 62nd minute of their goalless home draw against Everton, was alright, according to the Spaniard.
Defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko, however, are still sidelined due to injuries.
“We will make the decision on whether he’s (Rice) available or not,” Arteta added.
