"A really tight game" - Jamie Carragher makes surprise prediction for West Ham United vs Arsenal clash

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has made an interesting prediction for Arsenal's upcoming EFL Cup encounter against West Ham United. The Englishman has backed the Hammers to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, despite the Gunners' stellar form this season.

The pundit, however, believes the game will end in a stalemate after extra-time and go on to a penalty shootout, which he predicts West Ham will emerge victorious from.

Giving his Carabao Cup predictions for the week, Carragher said (per the official EFL website):

"This one’s a big one. It depends on what teams get put out because I’m not sure the changes West Ham will make with them being in the Europa League as well, so I’m going to go for West Ham on penalties. I think it’ll be a really tight game and Arsenal will make a few changes."

Arsenal started the 2023/24 EFL Cup campaign with a victory over Brentford in the third round in late September. The Gunners progressed in the tournament thanks to Reiss Nelson's eighth-minute goal.

The north London outfit have had an excellent start to the Premier League season as well. Mikel Arteta's side are currently second in the league standings, two points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners are ahead of third-placed Manchester City after seven wins and three draws in their first ten encounters in the English top tier this term. However, the pair of title rivals are level on points, separated only by goals scored (Arsenal - 23, City - 22).

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"I’m really happy" - Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal's 5-0 win against Sheffield United

Arsenal dealt a thrashing blow to Sheffield United in their league encounter over the weekend (Saturday, October 28). The Gunners secured a dominant 5-0 victory over their English counterparts.

Eddie Nketiah had an exceptional performance as he bagged a hat-trick in the encounter. Fabio Vieira converted a penalty in the 88th minute of the second half. Takehiro Tomiyasu then signed off the night with a late stoppage-time goal as the Gunners grabbed all three points.

Arteta lauded his side for their elite mentality and drive to win the match. The Spanish manager was extremely satisfied with Arsenal's performance and how they approached the game.

Speaking after the match, Arteta told reporters (per the club's official website):

"That shows the mentality and the determination that the team wants, and how much they have to respect every game and every ball. The influence that every ball has in the journey you have to have throughout a game."

The former Everton midfielder added:

"They took the game in a really serious way. On Thursday I gave them a big alert, because the context and the difference we have to play with the last Man City Chelsea and Sevilla games. I’m really happy with how they approached it."