Arsenal Vs Man City Preview, EFL Cup Final: Team News, Lineups, Prediction – All You Need To Know

Arsenal continue their push for a quadruple when they face Manchester City in the English Football League (EFL) Cup 2025-26 final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. More than a battle on the footballing pitch, it’s a battle of wits between the two head coaches – former mentor-mentee Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta – who will both be looking to clinch the first domestic silverware of this season.

Arsenal are having a season to remember. They are nine points clear at the top of the English Premier League table, with City in second place. The Gunners are also in the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they are paired against second-tier Southampton. In the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal are one of the only two English sides to make it to the quarter-finals.

The North London side earned their place in the Carabao Cup final with a thumping 4-2 aggregate win over Chelsea in the semi-finals. Their opponents, Man City, had a similarly dominant win in the last four, beating Newcastle United 5-1 over two legs.

Guardiola’s Cityzens have been off track this season, being dumped out of the Champions League after a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Real Madrid, which led to the Spaniard saying that “everyone wants to fire me”.

Despite their poor form, Guardiola remains the manager who has lifted the EFL Cup more than any of his peers. In fact, City as a group have a terrific record in the EFL Cup finals, having won the last seven in a row.

“We have got to Wembley 22 times in 10 years, it’s an honour and a big challenge,” the City head coach said in the pre-match press conference. “To be there, we have to see it as a big opportunity because we never know when it will happen again.”

Arteta, who has a 100% record at Wembley, expressed similar sentiments: “All the preparation and all the enjoyment in the next 48 hours to get to Wembley in the best possible way, really prepared and confident that we’re going to make it happen.”

Arsenal vs Man City: Head-To-Head

Arsenal and Manchester City have faced each other on 214 occasions across all competitions. Arsenal have a head-to-head advantage with 101 wins, compared to 65 victories for City. 48 games have ended in draws.

The last time these two sides met was in the Premier League fixture at the Emirates in September, which ended in a 1-1 draw. This marked the sixth winless game on the trot for City against the Gunners.

Arsenal vs Man City: Team News

Arsenal have a couple of fitness issues before the final. Mikel Merino is a long-term absentee after undergoing surgery on his foot.

Captain Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber both missed the Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen with knocks, but Arteta was coy about their availability against City. Eze, substituted off against Leverkusen with a knock, is fit and available.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the designated cup goalkeeper for the Gunners, and Arteta is likely to stick with the former Real Madrid man between the sticks. Similarly, backup goalkeeper James Trafford will start for Manchester City, as Guardiola confirmed.

City have just one player out injured – defender Josko Gvardiol, who will not return this season, having suffered a calf injury. January signing Marc Guehi is ineligible to play in the competition, leaving Guardiola light in defence.

Arsenal vs Man City: Predicted Lineups

Arsenal: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapie; Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli; Viktor Gyokeres.

Manchester City: James Trafford; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Nico O’Reilly; Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku.

Arsenal vs Man City: Prediction

Previous encounters between Arteta’s Arsenal and Guardiola’s City have usually been cagey affairs, which is true for most of the matches involving the Gunners. However, the latter’s set-piece prowess and City’s defensive lapses mean that a narrow win might be on the cards. There’s also a good possibility that the game will go on to penalties. Either way, an Arsenal win seems the most likely outcome.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City

Arsenal vs Man City: Live Streaming Details