After a dramatic October night filled with both joy and heartbreak, Monday’s game between Reading and Arsenal provides the opportunity for the clubs to settle the score.
Often mocked for its inferiority to other competitions, the League Cup rarely provides anywhere near as much entertainment as the Premier League. On a Tuesday evening in October, though, the Madejski Stadium hosted a match that will long in the memory of both sets of supporters.
Having taken an incredible 4-0 lead after just 35 minutes, Reading were eventually pegged back and Arsenal won the game 7-5 in extra time. It was delirium for the Gunners, but devastation for the Royals.
This Monday sees a repeat fixture, only this time the prize up for grabs is Premier League points. Similarly to the last game, the match will be played under the floodlights at the Madejski.
After QPR’s first league win sent them bottom of the table, Brian McDermott will be hoping that it isn’t Groundhog Day for his side come Monday. Arsene Wenger, however, needs his side to eradicate the memory of Tuesday’s embarrassing Capital One Cup exit at the hands of Bradford City. As well as increasing the chances of Arsenal’s seven-year wait for a trophy being extended, that result ultimately meant that all the joy brought about by their previous victory against Reading had been in vain.
With both sides in need of a boost, who will come out on top as they compete once again in front of the Sky Sports cameras?