English League Cup Final 2026 Betting Preview, Odds & Predictions

Simon Lewis

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Last updated: 1 hour ago

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Arsenal and Manchester City compete for the English Football League Cup title.
Arsenal seeks first League Cup title since 1993; City won the Cup 6 times in 12 years.
Match outcome likely influenced by squad rotations and team injuries.

Noni Madueke scores for Arsenal (Getty Images).

Arsenal v Man City Live StreamWatch live online at Vave > Soccer > England EFL Cup. T&Cs apply. Watch and bet Starts in Geo-restrictions apply. You must have a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. Over 18s only. T&Cs apply.

This Arsenal vs Manchester City prediction preview looks ahead to the final of the English Football League Cup, with Arsenal looking for their 3rd League Cup title while Manchester City are aiming for their 9th win.

Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League, nine points ahead of 2nd-placed City, who have a game in hand. Arsenal are through to the quarter-final of the Champions League, while City were knocked out by Real Madrid in the Round of 16.

Match Details

Competition	English Football League Cup Final
Date	22 March 2026
Time	18:30 SAST
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London

Recent Form

Team	Last 5 Matches
Arsenal	WWDWW
Manchester City	DWLDL

Arsenal have been the team of the season, resolute and hard to beat, despite not always scoring heavily. Their defence has been superb, conceding just 22 goals in 31 Premier League matches.

Man City are going through something of a rebuild and have struggled to dominate the way they have in previous seasons. They are a dangerous side capable of beating anyone on their day and with the Premier League slipping from their clutches and being eliminated from the Champions League, manager Pep Guardiola is likely to give the League Cup and FA Cup high priority in terms of player selections.

Head-to-Head Record

Date	Fixture	Result	Competition
21 Sept 2025	Arsenal vs Man City	1-1	English Premier League
2 Feb 2025	Arsenal vs Man City	5-1	English Premier League
22 Sept 2024	Man City vs Arsenal	2-2	English Premier League
31 Mar 2024	Man City vs Arsenal	0-0	English Premier League
8 Oct 2023	Arsenal vs Man City	1-0	English Premier League

Man City won eight straight matches against Arsenal from 2020 to 2023, but have failed to win any of their next six clashes with the Gunners. Arsenal won three of those matches, with the other three ending in a draw.

Team News

Arsenal: Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are injury concerns after sitting out Arsenal’s midweek Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen. Eberechi Eze picked up a knock in the second half of that match but is said to be fit to be considered for selection, while Mikel Merino is still recovering after foot surgery.

Man City: The midweek loss to Real Madrid that knocked City out of the Champions League is likely to make City hungrier for success. Manager Pep Guardiola pulled striker Erling Haaland off midway through the second half against Real, not due to injury concerns but to save City’s leading goal-scorer legs for Sunday’s EFL Cup final at Wembley.

"Erling Haaland has no injury. He will be available against Arsenal in the final," said Guardiola in his pre-match interview.

Manchester City will be without centre-backs Josko Gvardiol (injured) and Marc Guehi (Cup-tied). Rico Lewis has recovered from an ankle injury but it’s not clear if he will be fit to take part in the final.

Key Stats

Arsenal have won 11 of their last 14 matches, with 3 draws.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 6 matches against Man City.
Arsenal have conceded just 7 goals in their last 13 matches.
Man City have lost 2 of their last 3 matches.
Man City have just 1 win in their last 5 matches.
Man City have 9 wins in their last 14 matches.

Match Analysis

This is a true heavyweight clash between two of the top teams in league football. Arsenal have been near unbeatable all season and have a brilliant defence that is superbly well organised. They are also unbeaten against City in their last six meetings.

City’s defence is far from water-tight, but their midfield and attacking force is dynamic. While they have enjoyed great success this season, they have failed to meet the heights of previous campaigns as teams seem to have worked out how to squeeze their attacking force. With Arsenal having such a strong defence they are the team to back in what could be a low-scoring final.

Arsenal’s strong defence has been breached two times or more on four occasions in their last 20 matches. City’s dynamic attacking force and Haaland’s brilliance is a major concern for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Betting Markets to Watch

Both Teams To Score

Arsenal’s form makes them the runaway favourites, but they seldom score big in matches, so this is likely to be 1-1 at the end of regular time, or a 2-1 win to Arsenal. I can’t see City not scoring as they will throw everything at the chance for a 9th League Cup title.

Goal Scorers

Man City’s Erling Haaland (22 goals) and Antoine Semenyo (15) are 1st and 3rd respectively in the Premier League Golden Boot race, but they have scored just 4 and 3 goals in their last 10 matches. In a one-off final, with Jeremy Doku in great form supplying crosses down the wing, they are the best bets to score in the final.

Total Match Goals

This should be really tight, but both sides have some deadly goalscorers on their books and they will press high looking to secure the first trophy of the season. If it’s not at least 1-1 then one of the sides should pick up at least two goals. I’m backing 1.5-plus goals in regular time.

Latest Odds

Market	Odds
Arsenal Win (regular time)	2.35
Man City Win (regular time)	3
Draw (regular time)	3.3

Odds with Sportingbet SA

Verdict

Arsenal v Man City

Arsenal to score first.
Man City to have over 9.5 Total Shots.
Arsenal have the form this season and have been strong against City in their last six meetings, so they are the clear favourites to take the title.