Arsenal play Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday afternoon in the Carabao Cup final, and Chris Sutton has revealed what he expects to transpire in the showdown between Mikel Arteta’s side and Pep Guardiola’s men.
The Gunners come into this clash with momentum, having not lost in any of their last 14 matches across all competitions. They breezed past Bayer Leverkusen in an impressive Champions League second leg performance on Tuesday, with goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice sealing their progression into the last eight of Europe’s elite competition.
This result coincided with City crashing out at the hands of Real Madrid. Beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Los Blancos, the Citizens will now feel that the Carabao Cup means significantly more in the context of their season, and thus, they will be desperate to claim the trophy.
However, Arsenal’s excellent recent form and City’s struggles mean the Gunners should have too much for their north-west counterparts on the day.
Chris Sutton makes Arsenal vs Man City prediction
Arsenal could be without Jurrien Timber for Sunday’s game, with the Dutchman fighting to be fit after sustaining an ankle injury against Everton last Saturday. Meanwhile, City will be without Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol, with the former cup-tied and the latter injured.
These absences are certainly significant, although both teams come into the tie with relatively few injury issues impacting their respective squads. This can therefore not be used as an excuse by either manager, both of whom are in need of winning this piece of silverware for very different reasons.
Arteta needs to prove that his team can finally get over the line and claim a major honour, while Guardiola needs to stem the bleeding and salvage something from what is increasingly looking like a disappointing campaign. There has been widespread discourse around whether the outcome of the game at Wembley will impact the Premier League title race, and pundit Sutton has revealed where he lands in this debate.
Writing for BBC Sport, Sutton dismissed the idea that the final has any bearing on the title race.
“I don’t think this game has any bearing on the Premier League title race,” he wrote.
“The narrative that has been doing the rounds for a long time is that whoever wins this game wins the title, but that is not the case now – City are not catching Arsenal, whatever happens at Wembley.”
This was about as far as Sutton’s column went in providing Arsenal fans with reasons for optimism. The former Blackburn Rovers striker has predicted the Gunners to lose in the most heartbreaking way possible, while he also revealed his concerns about the type of game he expects to unfold at Wembley.
“City are out of the Champions League now but I have got to say I thought they were brilliant on Tuesday against Real Madrid, before and after they went down to 10 men,” he stated.
“They went for it, and they were not just brave; they created plenty of chances. With the nature of the Premier League this season, I think this will be a very different game, however.
“I fear this will be a really ugly and dull encounter, where both teams avoid taking risks.”
Sutton’s Prediction: Arsenal 0-0 Man City, City win on penalties
Is Arsenal vs Man City likely to be dull?
Arteta and Guardiola are both obsessed with control, while the former is inherently conservative in his tactical approach. Whenever the two managers face each other, their teams tend to play out a stodgy, close encounter with few clear-cut chances.
There is no reason to believe Sunday’s final is going to break this mould. Both sides will set up to negate the other for long periods, and this is unlikely to be the catalyst for an instant classic.
| Date | Result | Competition |
| 21/09/2025 | Arsenal 1-1 City | Premier League |
| 02/02/2025 | Arsenal 5-1 City | Premier League |
| 22/09/2024 | City 2-2 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 31/03/2024 | City 0-0 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 08/10/2023 | Arsenal 1-0 City | Premier League |
| 06/08/2023 | City 1-1 Arsenal | Community Shield |
That said, with the way City consistently fade in second halves of matches, the Gunners have the ability to open the game up and take it to the Manchester-based outfit late. They can introduce some of their more physical players from the bench, and overpower a fatigued Rodri in the middle of the park.
So, while large portions of the game may not elicit the entertainment value the neutrals will hope for, Arsenal could finish strongly and make the final 20 or 30 minutes well worth watching.
