Tonight, the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) will be adorned with red and white or sky-blue ribbons as either Arsenal or Manchester City ascends the steps of the famous Wembley Stadium to collect their winner's medals after a thrilling final between them. The last time Arsenal lifted this trophy, none of its current players had been born yet, while the team led by Spanish manager Pep Guardiola aims to win his first final since being crowned Champions League winner in the 2022-2023 season. This is the first EFL Cup final to feature the teams occupying the top two spots in the Premier League table in the same season. Arsenal, under the guidance of Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta, dreams of achieving a historic quadruple (Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, and EFL Cup) this season. The London club is looking to secure its first trophy among those it is still competing for when it faces Manchester City in the EFL Cup final, to end a 30-year drought in the competition. Nearly six years have passed since the 2019-2020 FA Cup final – the first and only final Arteta has contested with Arsenal so far (excluding the Community Shield final). Now, the former Manchester City assistant manager can write a new chapter in the history of the north London club, becoming the first Gunners manager to win his first two major finals. History is on Arteta's side, as he has an unbeaten record in eight previous matches at Wembley with Arsenal as a player and manager, and more importantly, recent results also favor the red and white team. Arsenal has not suffered a defeat in 14 consecutive matches across all competitions. Meanwhile, Manchester City has won eight of the nine EFL Cup finals they have contested, including the last seven in a row since the 1974 final against Wolverhampton. Guardiola could become the first manager to win the trophy five times in the competition's history, which began in 1966.
