Lee Johnson has given his take on Tuesday’s hotly anticipated Carabao Cup visit to Arsenal, in what is Sunderland’s final match before Christmas.
The quarter-final tie at the Emirates represents a fifth consecutive away draw in the competition for the Lads this season, who have earned their status as the last team from outside the top flight left in the last eight.
Johnson’s men have already put Port Vale, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic and QPR to the sword en route to North London, and the Head Coach declared his squad could benefit from being significant underdogs on the night.
“I think to a degree, you have to choose your competitions, and we’ve got a really good opportunity for the players on a great stage,” Johnson said.
“What I mean by that is, for example, that we’ve used the Papa John’s Trophy in a very different way this year after winning it last season, and we’ve focused quite heavily on the Carabao Cup – something which has proven its worth in getting to a really good occasion.
“Despite my comments and bad dad jokes after the QPR game, this will genuinely be a good stage for us as a football club to try and put ourselves back on the map a bit. It’s one of the rare occasions we’ve been underdogs going into a game, and the players will take massive lessons from Tuesday – not only from the quality of Arsenal, but also testing ourselves against these elite teams.”
The Head Coach credited the way Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have progressed throughout the first half of this season, with the Gunners currently sat fourth in the Premier League having enjoyed a 4-1 win at Elland Road against Leeds United on Saturday night.
Johnson added that a decently sized crowd and lively sold-out away end is something his players are relishing, as the club look to continue an excellently built cup run.
“I think they’ve been fantastic, having watched them over the last four or five games. I think they’re very fluid, they have a lot of young players and a good model.
“They’ve recovered well from a ropey start to the season, and it’s coming through at the moment as they’ve broken into the top four of the Premier League.
“It’s a great arena to play in on Tuesday night. I think it will be an adequate to big crowd – I’m not sure on exact numbers with the current Covid situation, but I know that Arsenal have priced it well, and our boys are up for it.”