This Sunday, Wembley Stadium will host the Carabao Cup Final featuring Premier League leaders Arsenal against second-placed Manchester City, marking a significant event as both teams aim for the first major trophy of the season.
This match is a notable encounter between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola. It is the first League Cup final in history where the top two teams are competing. If Arsenal wins, it would mark their first triumph in this competition since 1993.
Historically, Arsenal has lost more League Cup finals than any other team (6 losses), including a 3-0 defeat to City in 2018. However, Arteta has a strong record at Wembley, having never lost there as a player or manager.
Manchester City comes to Wembley hoping to turn around a challenging season. After their midweek exit from the Champions League against Real Madrid, Guardiola is eager to secure a major title to avoid back-to-back seasons without one for the first time in his career.
City has won their past seven League Cup finals since 1974, but they lost their last two major finals at Wembley. Guardiola is aiming to become the first manager to win this cup five times but faces an Arsenal team unbeaten in their last six meetings.
Arsenal vs Manchester City – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026
- Kick-off: 16:30 GMT
- Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
- Referee: Peter Bankes
- VAR: John Brooks
- Last Meeting: Arsenal 1–1 Manchester City (21 Sep 2025, Premier League)
Team News
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is dealing with injuries to key players, including captain Martin Ødegaard (knee) and Jurriën Timber (ankle). Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to start in goal after participating in every round of the competition thus far.
Eberechi Eze has a chance to make history, having scored the winning goal against City in the 2025 FA Cup Final. He could be the third player ever to score in both a League Cup and FA Cup final against the same team.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that James Trafford will be the starting goalkeeper. The team will miss the cup-tied Marc Guéhi and long-term absentee Joško Gvardiol due to injury.
Erling Haaland, who ended a scoring drought midweek, seeks his first goal at Wembley in what will be his seventh appearance at the stadium.
Form
Arsenal
Arsenal is in excellent form, winning six of their last seven matches across competitions, including a strong 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen that secured their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Gunners have shown adaptability despite injuries to Ødegaard and Timber and feature eight different goal scorers in the League Cup this season without any player scoring more than once.
Manchester City
Manchester City arrives at Wembley with concerns, having secured just one win in their last five matches following their Champions League exit. Nonetheless, they have performed well in the Carabao Cup this season.
City has won all five Cup matches by two or more goals and has dominated past meetings with Arsenal, winning the last four encounters by an aggregate score of 11–1.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Kepa; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres
Manchester City Predicted XI (4-3-3): Trafford; Nunes, Dias, Stones, Ait-Nouri; Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly; Cherki, Haaland, Semenyo
How to Watch Arsenal vs Manchester City?
The match will be live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, and ITV1, with coverage starting at 15:30 GMT.
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