After a seven-month long journey that pitted the four tiers of English football — the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two — up against each other every four weeks, it comes down to the two best teams right now in English football: Manchester City and Arsenal. The two Premier League Championship contenders are set to duel it out March 22 in the United Kingdom’s biggest arena, Wembley Stadium, for one of the country’s biggest domestic tournament trophies.
History
The English Football League, or EFL, Cup — known as the Carabao — is one of England’s top three competitions, along with the Premier League and the Football Association, or FA, Cup. The knockout tournament was founded in 1960 to increase the prestige of English football and followed decades of declining performances, especially against continental European teams in Germany, Italy and Spain. The cup slowly gained popularity throughout the 1960s and 70s before becoming more widely known in the 80s.
One way to distinguish the Carabao Cup from the FA Cup is that the EFL only includes the top four tiers of English football, totaling 92 teams. In contrast, the FA includes every established team in England, consisting of 745 semi-professional and professional clubs in 2025.
Arsenal’s path to the championship
The Gunners kicked off their Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over the current last-place holders of League One, Port Vale. Midfielder Eberechi Eze and forward Leandro Trossard led the team with a goal each. Arsenal followed up with another 2-0 win against fellow Premier League team Brighton & Hove Albion. Midfielder Max Dowman made a phenomenal starting XI debut in that fixture, being named Arsenal’s youngest starter ever at 15 years old.
Arsenal’s next game, the quarterfinals against Crystal Palace, was the most challenging one yet, with the match going on to penalties. Arsenal won in an incredible 8-7 shootout, sending it to a semifinal showdown against London rival Chelsea. Arsenal won the matchup with a convincing 4-2 aggregate, and former Chelsea starboy forward Kai Havertz scored the first and only goal in leg 2 of 2, sending the Gunners to Wembley for the final.
Manchester City’s path to the championship
The Citizens started their campaign away at League One team Huddersfield Town, where they comfortably won 2-0 while resting most of their star players. This was followed by a 3-1 comeback win against Swansea City, in which midfielder Rayan Cherki was man of the match. Manchester City faced Brentford in the quarterfinals, coming out victorious 2-0. The first real test for the Sky Blues came in the semifinals, when they had to beat Newcastle in a two-legged fixture: one game played at home and the other at Newcastle. The outcome was a 3-0 win away and a 2-1 win in Manchester to send The Citizens to the final. The 5-1 win was notable, as new-signee midfielder Antoine Semenyo scored the first crucial goal away at St. James Park.
Analysis and prediction
Arsenal is currently undefeated in six Premier League games against Manchester City (two wins, four draws) and remains top of the Premier League, making the North London team the favorite for winning the final. Expect manager Mikel Arteta to go full force for this title, as Arsenal look to end its six-year trophy drought. The center back partnership of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba will look to curb City’s attacking threats, especially forward Erling Haaland and Semenyo.
However, it is impossible to rule out Manchester City from winning this game as it has a great record in this competition — it won the Cup six times from 2014 to 2021. Key players from the last Carabao Cup victory still play a role in City’s system, especially club captain and midfielder Bernardo Silva. The Sky Blues will look to press Arsenal high up the pitch, keeping the pressure in the Gunners’ half to neutralize the effectiveness of their defense.
With the momentum Manchester City has been gaining and the inconsistency the Gunners have been facing, do not be surprised if Arsenal drops the final match against the star-studded Manchester City team.
