Arsene Wenger: Mesut Ozil to Return to Full-Strength Arsenal Team in Carabao Cup

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is confident Mesut Ozil will be fit to play in Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City as part of a full-strength Gunners side. 

Per the Mirror's James Whaling, the Frenchman said of Ozil: "We have to see how he responds today, but I think he will be alright. You want all your best players available and of course he is an important player for us."

"We will play all our regular players," he added. "We want to win it. We want the fans to go home happy."

The only potential concerns—not including the injured Alexandre Lacazette—were Alex Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey, per James Olley of the Evening Standard:

Premier League leaders City will be the favourites for the clash at Wembley Stadium, but Wenger is hoping for a strong performance and result from his side as he pursues his first League Cup victory.

"What counts for me is that we go into the final with absolute desire to win it," he said. "We need to perform on the day and go home having done our job well—that is of course to win the game. Everybody expects a very exciting game, and I think it will be. It's a good opportunity for us."

The manager called for confidence, organisation and ruthlessness from his players: "We need a strong belief we can do it. We need to be well organised and take every opportunity to go forward."

Wenger guided the Gunners to the final of the competition in 2007 and 2011 but lost on both occasions to Chelsea and then Birmingham City.

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While Pep Guardiola's Man City stand in their way, the League Cup represents their biggest chance of winning major silverware this season.

Though the trophy may be the least prestigious of the four available at the start of the season, the Frenchman feels the importance of the competition has increased:

"Every trophy in the last five or six years is difficult to win. There are so many teams competing to win it.

"It’s absolutely important. In the Charity Shield when we played against Chelsea—every trophy is absolutely vital.

"There are more teams competing at the top level. It's an important game. It can increase the belief in a team."

Given its status, winning this trophy isn't likely to have a significant impact on the way Arsenal fans look back on their season if they fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, but it should not be dismissed either.

What's more, it could give the Gunners campaign a timely boost that may help them secure a place in Europe's elite competition, but they'll need to be at their best to overcome a strong City side.