When Masters Meet Pupils: City and Arsenal Eye Wembley Glory
4 February 2026
Final Set at Wembley
Manchester City booked a fiery date with Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 22, with Pep Guardiola guiding the pursuit of more silverware this season.
City, after a 5-1 aggregate triumph over Newcastle United, earned their spot in the final through a dominant display on both legs.
Paths to Wembley and the Teacher-Student Showdown
Arsenal reached the final by beating Chelsea 4-2 on aggregate, setting up a long-awaited meeting between Guardiola and Arteta, often seen as mentor and mentee.
There is a famous moment when Guardiola and Arteta celebrated City’s 2017/18 Carabao Cup triumph with a 3-0 win over Arsenal, a reminder of how far their journey has come.
Next month they meet again, and the final carries a teacher-versus-pupil vibe as the clubs chase silverware and a strong statement for the closing stages of the season.
The final will feature the league’s two top teams, with Arsenal leading on 53 points and City just behind on 47, promising a blockbuster Wembley showdown.
Punchline: If coaching were a classroom, Guardiola would be the strict headmaster and Arteta the pupil who finally asks for extra homework—and Wembley could graduate on the day.
Punchline 2: Wembley just got a new cartoonishly confident duo: two managers, one trophy, and enough tactical diagrams to redraw the chalkboard for a lifetime.
