oi-Prateek Bannerjee

Arsenal vs Man City Lineups: The football world turns its attention to Wembley Stadium today, Sunday, March 22, 2026, for a monumental Carabao Cup Final clash as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The two teams are fighting for the Premier League crown but the Carabao Cup provides the opportunity for first silverware of the season for both teams. Before the first whistle blows, both managers are facing major headaches regarding player fitness and availability. Here is the fully verified and cross-checked injury news, suspension list, and predicted starting XIs for both teams.

Arsenal vs Manchester City Injury and Suspension News

Arsenal

Arsenal arrive at Wembley with a few major injury concerns, especially in their midfield and defense.

Mikel Merino (Ruled Out): The Spanish midfielder remains a long-term absentee after undergoing foot surgery and will definitely miss the final.

Martin Odegaard (Major Doubt): The Arsenal captain has missed the last six games with a knee problem. While he was spotted in light training on Saturday, he is not expected to be fit enough to start the match.

Jurrien Timber (Doubt): The Dutch defender limped off with an ankle issue against Everton last weekend and missed the midweek game against Bayer Leverkusen. He returned to training on Saturday and will undergo a late fitness test.

Eberechi Eze (Fit): Despite picking up a minor knock in the Champions League, Eze has recovered well, took part in training, and is fully expected to start.

Suspensions: Arsenal currently has no players suspended for this match.

Manchester City

City will be missing a few crucial names in their defensive line, but they have received a massive boost in attack.

Josko Gvardiol (Ruled Out): The Croatian defender remains out with a long-term calf/ankle issue and is not expected to return until late April or May.

Marc Guéhi (Ruled Out – Cup-Tied): The January signing is ineligible to play in the Carabao Cup Final because he joined the club after the competition’s registration cut-off point.

Erling Haaland (Fit): Despite being substituted early against Real Madrid in midweek, Pep Guardiola has officially confirmed that his star striker has “no injury” and is completely ready to start at Wembley.

Bernardo Silva (Available): Silva received a red card against Real Madrid on Tuesday, but that suspension only applies to UEFA competitions. He is fully eligible to play today.

Suspensions: City has no domestic suspensions to worry about.

Arsenal vs Manchester City Predicted XI Lineups

Both managers have huge tactical calls to make. For Arsenal, Kepa Arrizabalaga is heavily tipped to keep his place as the designated “cup goalkeeper” over David Raya. For City, Guardiola has already confirmed that young shot-stopper James Trafford will start ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Arsenal: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyokeres

Manchester City: James Trafford; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Nico O’Reilly, Bernardo Silva; Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki.

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