Arsenal vs. Manchester City Carabao Cup Final: do the thing!
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: General view inside the stadium prior to the Carabao Cup Final match Arsenal and between Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on March 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) | Arsenal FC via Getty Images Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley. The Gunners are still in the running for a quadruple, City for a domestic treble.
It’s impossible not to connect today’s result to the Premier League run-in. But today’s match also stands alone. Silverware is on the line and trophies mean something, to the clubs, to the players, and the fans.
Much of the talk ahead of the match has focused on Arsenal, perhaps understandably so. Despite being one of the best teams in Europe for three or four seasons, the Gunners have just the 2020 FA Cup to show for it. That was the mid-summer, COVID-affected FA Cup Final too, played in front of an empty stadium.
The Arsenal supporters haven’t seen a trophy in-person since the 2017 FA Cup. The club haven’t won the League Cup (today’s competition) since 1993. In the context of this season, however, this match might be more important for Manchester City.
They’re 9 points adrift (with a game in hand and that all-important head-to-head) in the Premier League. They were just unceremoniously bounced 5-1 on aggregate from the Champions League by Real Madrid. It feels as if the season might be slipping away from Pep Guardiola’s side.