Carabao Cup Final: Arteta, Guardiola fight to finish at Wembley

Arsenal vs Man City Carabao Cup final preview: Arteta vs Pep at Wembley; Gunners chase first trophy, City seek revival. Quad dream alive?

Mikel Arteta will square up with his old boss at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final. This is a trophy that has eluded Arsenal in recent decades. Who wins this one on Sunday? (Photo credit: Opta)

Arsenal and Manchester City will go head-to-head on Sunday at Wembley in what could be the beginning of Arsenal's trophy run.

The Gunners are the only team left with a quadruple dream after Real Madrid dumped Manchester City out of the Champions League in midweek, while Arsenal moved on to the last eight after a professional performance against Bayer Leverkusen.

The whole world is watching this one. It's a tale of the master against his old apprentice: Pep Guardiola against Mikel Arteta. This is the final of the Carabao Cup taking place at Wembley. This is a crucial game for both sides.

How did they get here? Manchester City outclassed Newcastle over two legs, and Arsenal did the same over Chelsea, winning 3-2 at Stamford Bridge before Kai Havertz scored the solitary goal at the Emirates in the return leg.

This game could have a significant impact on many things for both sides. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City currently sits nine points off the pace in the Premier League, albeit with a game in hand. A win on Sunday could galvanize their season as they chase down Arsenal for the title.

For Arsenal, the nerves are quite obvious. For all their hard work in recent seasons, Arsenal has no tangible trophy to show for it under Mikel Arteta. You have a sense that the Catabao Cup could ease tensions in the squad while opening doors to more opportunities this season.

The title race is not done yet. Nine points with seven games to go is not insurmountable, but Manchester City must do more than they've been doing recently if they want to stand a chance against this Arsenal.

How will they line up? Most news outlets are reporting that both managers will start their second-choice goalkeepers; this means James Trafford and Kepa Arrizabalaga are expected in both goals. We expect a strong eleven from both sides, too.

Incidentally, Manchester City has failed to beat Arsenal in any of their last five games, a far cry from what used to be the norm between the two. Is this Mikel Arteta's turn to shine? Will Arsenal rise above the ghosts of the past to finally win the Carabao Cup?