Carabao Cup final: Arsenal vs Man City – date, kick-off, history, TV, live stream & team news
League Cup glory is on the line as Arsenal and Manchester City lock horns in the grand final at Wembley Stadium in a repeat of the 2017/18 showpiece.
Mikel Arteta was part of Man City’s coaching staff in that final, where the Cityzens trounced the Gunners 3-0.
Now in charge of Arsenal, Arteta is seeking his first title since guiding the North London giants to the FA Cup triumph in 2020, going up against his mentor, Pep Guardiola.
Unlike his former associate, Guardiola has conquered this competition four times in a row between 2018 and 2021, but he has not reached the final in the last four editions.
When & where is the final?
A heavily anticipated battle for the coveted mid-season trophy takes place at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 22.
However, a kick-off time is yet to be confirmed.
Despite what happened the last time these two teams met in the League Cup final, Arsenal are more heavily fancied to win the cup this time around.
Priced at 7/5, the Gunners head into proceedings as slim favourites to close in on their second piece of silverware under Arteta, while the Cityzens sit at 2/1 to add to their glittering trophy cabinet under Guardiola.
Where to watch the final?
TV channel: Sky Sports and ITV will broadcast the Carabao Cup final live.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match via the Sky Go app, while ITVX will offer a free live stream on its website and app. More live football streaming options are available here.
Arsenal’s road to the final
Arsenal’s journey to Wembley started with a brace of 2-0 victories over lower-league Port Vale and fellow Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Gunners had to navigate a nerve-shredding penalty shootout in the quarter-finals to overcome Crystal Palace, setting up a mouth-watering semi-final tie against Chelsea.
However, Arteta’s side tore the Blues apart in the last four, emerging 4-2 aggregate winners and prompting the Spaniard to hail his team’s performance in a glowing post-match interview.
Manchester City’s road to the final
Guardiola’s men have run riot in this year’s competition, starting with a comfortable 2-0 win over third-tier Huddersfield Town in the opening round.
Indeed, Man City recorded two-goal winning margins in each of their five League Cup victories, including triumphs over Swansea City, Brentford and Newcastle United.
City were ruthless against the reigning holders, beating Eddie Howe’s team in both legs while racking up five goals and conceding just one.
What are their records?
It’s been eight years since Arsenal last featured in the League Cup final.
The Gunners will be heavily motivated to avenge that 2018 heartbreak and ascend the throne for the first time since the 1992/93 season.
Achieving that feat would see the London club lift only their third title in the competition’s history.
Man City have enjoyed far more success in the League Cup, with only record-time winners Liverpool (ten), hoisting this trophy more often than the Cityzens (eight).
That doesn’t mean they can afford to take anything for granted, especially after suffering a shocking defeat to Palace in last season’s FA Cup final.
Team News
Talismanic midfielder Mikel Merino is likely to be the only notable absentee in Arteta’s squad after Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard returned to fitness.
As for Merino, he will undergo surgery on a foot injury that will likely sideline him for a couple of months.
On the other hand, Guardiola called for ‘big personalities’ in the build-up to Man City’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
City will visit Merseyside without several first-team stars, including John Stones, Savinho and Mateo Kovacic, though they’re all expected to recover in time for the Wembley fixture.
However, starting centre-back Josko Gvardiol will almost certainly miss the final.
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