Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Arsene Wenger: 7-5 Reading win 'one of the craziest games I've seen in my life'

Arsene Wenger is hoping to avoid a repeat of "one of the craziest games" he has seen in his life when Arsenal take on Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

It's the first meeting between the teams in the competition since Arsenal stormed back from a 4-0 deficit to win 7-5 after extra-time in 2012.

That game featured a hat trick by Theo Walcott, who scored in added time of the first half, second half and extra-time -- his second goal to make it 4-4 came in the fifth minute of injury time to complete a remarkable comeback, while his third made it 6-5.

"Of course it was one of the craziest games I've seen in my life," Wenger, whose team also needed extra-time to beat Reading 2-1 in the 2015 FA Cup semifinal, told Arsenal media. "It's always tense with them, and always passionate. And you expect that again tomorrow. But I am confident that we are focused."

Garath McCleary played in that 2012 game and wants to make sure his team does not suffer a similar collapse this time.

"What we know is that against a side of that quality if you make mistakes you get punished," McCleary told the Daily Telegraph. "It's going to be tough. But we are all looking forward to it. We're going there full of confidence."

Arsenal have won all 13 of their previous meetings with Reading and are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-0 Premier League draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday that ended a seven-match winning streak in all competitions.

But McCleary said Reading's defenders are better equipped to deal with a team like Arsenal after learning from Royals manager and former Manchester United centre-back Jaap Stam.

"I think especially for defenders, he [Stam] is invaluable," McCleary said. "They can really pick his brains about how to defend against the kind of movement top teams have. We've not played too many who retain possession like Arsenal. That's why it will be so interesting to pitch ourselves against them, see how we come out."

Wenger will again field a team in the EFL Cup consisting mainly of backup and youth players, but said he has been impressed with Reading's style of play under Stam.

"They play a very technical game, Reading, so it's very important that we are focused," Wenger said. "We want to be a force at home and in the cup as well, so that is an important game for us."

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