Arsenal Form
The Londoners have not played in the final of this tournament for eight years. In 2018, the team also faced Manchester City and lost 0:3. Can they get their revenge? The Gunners’ current form is impressive: their last defeat came at the end of January – in the Premier League, they lost at home to Manchester United, after which they have recorded 11 wins and three draws in all competitions. On the road to the final, Arsenal came through four opponents, three of whom represented not only the Premier League but also the capital of England. The toughest tie came in the quarter-finals, where they only managed to beat Crystal Palace on penalties. However, in the semi-finals, Mikel Arteta’s side had no problems dispatching Chelsea across both legs (3:2 and 1:0).
- A maximum of two goals were scored in regular time in six of the previous seven Gunners matches in the EFL Cup.
- At least one of the sides failed to score in five of Arsenal’s last seven games in this tournament.
- The team did not concede in the first half in the previous five matches in this cup.
Potential Arsenal Lineup (3-4-3)
David Raya – Piero Hincapie, Ben White, William Saliba – Martin Zubimendi, Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka – Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres.
Only midfielder Mikel Merino is ruled out through injury. The involvement of defender Jurrien Timber and midfielders Martin Odegaard is in doubt.
Manchester City Form
As for Manchester City, from 2018 to 2021 they won this cup trophy four times, but since then they have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals. In this season’s edition, the team reached the final without much difficulty, coming through four opponents on the way, although only two of them were from England’s top division. In the quarter-finals, the club eased past Brentford (2:0). In the previous round, they were up against Newcastle, but Manchester City dealt with them in both legs too – 2:0 and 3:1.
- The team’s winning run in this cup stands at five matches.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in five of Manchester City’s previous seven matches in the EFL Cup.
- The Citizens have not conceded more than one goal in seven of their last eight games in this tournament.
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-1-3-2)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Rayan Ait-Nouri, Mateus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi – Rodri – Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki – Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland.
Defender Josko Gvardiol is unavailable due to injury.
Who Will Referee the Match?
Peter Bankes (England)
Matches – 23 (the Premier League and English cups, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 86;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 30%.
