Martin Ødegaard has highligted the scale of the task and the opportunity in front of Arsenal as they prepare to face Chelsea tonight in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, Softfootball reports.
The Gunners head into the tie at the Emirates Stadium holding a 3-2 aggregate advantage after their hard-fought first-leg win at Stamford Bridge, and victory tonight would send them through to their first League Cup final since 2018.
Writing in his pre-match notes, shared via the club’s official X handle, the Arsenal captain stressed both the motivation and the need for focus as his side look to finish the job.
We’re one game away from reaching Wembley for the final, so we have a huge motivation to get the job done tonight.
We did really well to get a victory in the first game at Stamford Bridge, and now it’s down to us to make the most of that opportunity here at Emirates Stadium tonight. The first leg was probably more open than we wanted it to be, and we had the feeling that we could have won by a bigger margin with how it was going. We didn’t manage to do that, and we know with the quality they have, the game is always alive. So that’s a warning to us – we know it will be a tough game again here.
Arsenal know there is plenty at stake, not just in terms of silverware but momentum as the season enters a crucial phase. Should the Gunners progress tonight, they will go on to face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final, with the two sides set to clash in the second semi-final tomorrow.
With Wembley firmly in sight, Ødegaard and his teammates will be aiming to harness the home atmosphere and deliver the performance needed to book their place on English football’s biggest domestic cup stage.
