Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie is fully focused on victory in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final over Manchester City and not the impact it could make in the title race.
Hincapie buzzing ahead of Arsenal's first final since 2020
The top-two in the Premier League will do battle at Wembley for the first major trophy of the season.
Top-of-the-table Arsenal boast a nine-point advantage and success over Pep Guardiola’s team on Sunday could potentially deliver a mental blow to City’s hopes of clawing back the deficit to Mikel Arteta’s runaway leaders.
But asked if the Wembley final will impact the title race, Hincapie told reporters: “I don’t know. It’s going to be a very difficult game. We’re very focused on wanting to win it, but we have to work hard to win the title.
Hincapie-Diego-Gomez-Arsenal-Brighton
“We’re really focused on the final, which is a very important final.
“We’re going to train very hard to get to the final in the best way possible and to win the title. That’s the most important thing.”
This will be the second meeting between Arsenal and City during the campaign. A stoppage-time strike by Gabriel Martinelli salvaged a point for the Gunners during the league clash at Emirates Stadium in September.
Arteta’s all-conquering team remained on course for an unprecedented quadruple with a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 aggregate win.
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After Leverkusen: £38m Arsenal star must be nowhere near the XI at Wembley
Victory over Bayer Leverkusen proved that one Arsenal player should not make Mikel Arteta's side for the Carabao Cup final.
Hincapie was sad to knock out old club Leverkusen, but delighted to help Arsenal continue to compete on four fronts.
He said: “I’m really excited to have qualified for the quarter-finals with my club, but I’m also a bit sad because it was against my former club. This is football and I’m really happy.”
Arsenal hit with concern over Ødegaard injury timeline
Odegaard-Arteta-Arsenal
The Gunners have been doing all of thise without their captain, Martin Ødegaard, in recent weeks, and the worrying news is they don't know how long that's going to continue.
Sport Witness translated some comments from Norwegian pundit Simen Stamsø this week, with the media in the skipper's homeland concerned by the lack of clarity over his return from a knee injury.
“If the situation is still like this in May, then there is reason to worry.”
Ødegaard himself has admitted his recovery period has been "difficult", and there are concerns over what is now a chronic issue in the same area where he suffered a serious MCL injury in October.
Arsenal's highest earners Gross pay per week
Bukayo Saka £300,000
Kai Havertz £280,000
Gabriel Jesus £265,000
Declan Rice £240,000
Martin Odegaard £240,000
Viktor Gyokeres £200,000
William Saliba £190,000
The Gunners will not rush the player back, and while Arteta has raised the possibility of a return in the coming weeks, no club can afford to have one of their highest earners repeatedly sidelined by a recurring issue, so questions may be asked of his future come the summer.