Arsenal: 3 realistic targets for December fixtures

3. Beating Sunderland and Reaching the Carabao Cup Semi-Finals

It took another glance at the December fixture list to act as a reminder that, yes, Arsenal are in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. With a lot else going on it was easily forgotten.

They’ve also got one foot in the semi-finals.

The draw was immensely kind to Arsenal. Incredibly so. Not only did they avoid facing one of Liverpool, Leicester, West Ham, Tottenham, Brentford or Chelsea, they got their tie at home. League One Sunderland at the Emirates with a place in the last four of the Carabao Cup in store.

That’s an early Christmas present.

Well in the race for a return to the Championship this season in a hotly contested promotion chase in the third tier, even the most backup of Arsenal backups should be winning this match. There is no beating around the bush here: Arsenal should not only win, they probably will too.

Can an upset happen? Absolutely it can, and with this fixture falling on December 21, three days after a trip to Leeds, who knows what could happen. We’ve no idea what kind of form Arsenal will be in come that period.

But of all the realistic targets to set, reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup ranks highest. It would be a pleasant note to leave on prior to Christmas Day and the unwanted trip to Norfolk on Boxing Day.