Arsenal – Manchester City

Arsenal will be closer to victory in the regulation time of the final match.

At the end of this week, the main English stadium Wembley in London will host the first major trophy of the current season. Its utmost seriousness is underscored by the finalists: Arsenal and Manchester City. In the current edition of the English League Cup, 92 football clubs began at various stages, and in the final those two clubs faced off, as of March 2026 still in the title race of the Premier League's elite division. Interestingly, despite Arsenal's historical advantages, Manchester City have won this trophy far more often. The Mancunians have reached the League Cup final nine times and won it eight times. Arsenal have won it only twice, the last time back in 1993. The Gunners' path to the final proved not to be too difficult. In the Round of 16 and the Quarterfinals, Mikel Arteta's team beat Port Vale and Brighton 2-0. In the quarterfinals Arsenal had to go to a penalty shootout against Crystal Palace. The semifinal against Chelsea was more challenging, as shown by two wins over the Blues: 3-2 and 1-0. Manchester City in the early rounds knocked out Huddersfield and Swansea 2-0 and 3-1, respectively. Next, Guardiola's team faced only Premier League clubs. In the quarterfinal Brentford fell 2-0, in the semifinal Newcastle were knocked out twice: 2-0 and 3-1. Arsenal recently wrapped up their Champions League Round of 16 tie in their favor against Bayer Leverkusen. The goals in the return leg against the German side were scored by Eze and Rice. In the league, the Gunners hold a nine-point lead over Manchester City, but the rivals have a game in hand. Judging by how Arsenal played in the semifinal against Chelsea, Arteta and company are eager this season to win all possible trophies. Manchester City approach the London match in a poor mood. Guardiola's side were eliminated from the Champions League, losing both matches to Real Madrid. Moreover, the Cityzens could not win in the last two Premier League games, worsening their position. Most likely, Manchester City will break the tradition of winning in League Cup finals.