Grab your popcorn — it’s Man City vs. Arsenal for the Carabao Cup, and maybe more
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City and Arsenal are on a collision course that could decide the destination of every major trophy this season. Pep Guardiola booked a meeting with former assistant Mikel Arteta at Wembley thanks to City’s 3-1 win over Newcastle United in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal second leg.
The final is set for March 22, less than a month before a potential title decider between the top two teams in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on April 18. With both clubs still in the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, there might be other must-see fixtures to come.
A rivalry that has been bubbling ever since Arteta propelled Arsenal into title contention three years ago has all the ingredients necessary to reach another level in the last few months of the campaign. “It can happen,” said Guardiola. “Of course, the Carabao Cup we are going to play [for] already. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the Champions League, and in the Premier League the fixture is there.
“When the good teams arrive in the latter stages at the end, maybe you can face it. I love it, especially when you play finals.”
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Guardiola has been here before. In 2011, his Barcelona team went head-to-head with Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in three separate competitions during the run-in. Across 18 days in April and May, they played each other four times in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Guardiola lost the battle in the Spanish cup final thanks to an extra-time winner from Cristiano Ronaldo, but he won the war in the league and Champions League. A 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium kept Real Madrid at arm’s length in the title race, and Barcelona finished top by four points.
In the Champions League, Guardiola got the better of Mourinho over the two-legged semifinal and Barcelona went on to beat Manchester United in the final. Brimming with spite and bitterness, they were the games that cemented Guardiola vs. Mourinho as one of the great managerial rivalries.
Guardiola had a similar experience once before in England. In 2022, there was a prospect of a blockbuster finale between Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. They played twice in six days in April for the Premier League and the FA Cup.
The league game at the Etihad finished 2-2, and City went on to win the title by a point. Liverpool got revenge in the FA Cup semifinal, winning 3-2, but a long predicted Champions League final between Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp never materialized when City lost in heartbreaking fashion against Real Madrid in the last four.
Things still need to fall into place for City and Arsenal to produce a similar climax. In particular, City would need to stay within touching distance at the top of the Premier League — they are currently six points adrift.
One thing that’s certain: If Arsenal are to end a six-year trophy drought, Arteta will have to beat his former mentor, the most successful manager of his generation.
“It’s a good thing to experience [a final] against maybe the best team in Europe and in the world for many reasons,” said Guardiola. “… I think it will be an incredible experience for all of us. Hopefully we arrive in March [with] everyone fit and everyone ready and make a good game against them.
“It’s not for granted. I know how difficult it is [to reach Wembley]. In 10 years, five times in the Carabao Cup final is really good. Top, top.”
City were so comfortable against Newcastle on the night that not even their recent habit of second-half wobbles could derail the trip to Wembley. They were 3-0 up at halftime — 5-0 on aggregate — and during the interval, supporters were busy on their phones booking hotels and trains.
Guardiola has already lifted this trophy four times, but he’s clearly not bored of winning. He celebrated the second goal from Omar Marmoush — the killer blow to Newcastle’s faint hopes — with the enthusiasm of a manager chasing his first piece of silverware.
There’s continued speculation that this could be his last season at the Etihad, and maybe the emotion in the screams of delight and clenched fists was driven by the knowledge that he will get at least one more cup final. Maybe it had nothing to do with that at all. If nothing else, standing on the sideline in the final minutes, Guardiola seemed to enjoy the chants of “Wembley again, olé, olé” coming from the stands.
It will be his 11th cup final as City boss. Arteta is preparing for his second.
With the title also up for grabs, one manager is searching for — possibly — his perfect ending, while another is looking to kick-start what he will hope might be his own dominant era. The potential is there for an ending for the ages.
The best two teams in England, managed by two of the best coaches in the world, facing off with everything on the line. Grab the popcorn.