Under-fire Mikel Arteta faces off against mentor Pep Guardiola tonight as Arsenal host Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Gunners have suffered a torrid season so far and the pressure is mounting on boss Arteta.
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Despite that, they have been good in the cup so far, beating Leicester and Liverpool in the last two rounds.
They need a morale-boosting performance tonight but that won’t be easy against defending champions City.
The Etihad giants saw off Burnley in the last round and are unbeaten in their last eight games.
Arsenal v Man City: How to listen
This match will get under way at 8pm on Tuesday, December 22.
Full coverage from the Emirates will be live on talkSPORT, with our coverage starting at 7pm.
Commentary will come from Jim Proudfoot and Andy Townsend and to tune in, click the radio player below or HERE for the live stream.
Here are the other ways to listen…
App iPhone – Download from the Apple store
Android – Download from Google Play
Radio – talkSPORT is available across the United Kingdom via DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
TV – Listen to talkSPORT through your TV on the following channels: Sky: Channel 0108 Virgin Media: Channel 927 Freeview: Channel 723 Freesat: Channel 731
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Arsenal v Man City: Team news
Arsenal: Runarsson, Mustafi, Gabriel, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Cedric, Elneny, Ceballos, Willock, Lacazette, Martinelli
Subs: Leno, Tierney, Mari, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Balogun, Nketiah
Man City: Steffen, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Fernandinho, B.Silva, Mahrez, Foden, Jesus
Subs: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Sterling, Gundogan, Aguero, Torres
Arsenal v Man City: What has been said?
Mikel Arteta hopes a cup win can lift the mood around Arsenal tonight but insists doing well in only one competition is not good enough for the club.
He said: “This [a morale boost] is what we want to use the cup for, as well it’s a competition we want to try to win.
“We have two difficult opponents before in Leicester and Liverpool, we managed to beat them both and now we are playing at home and we are one step closer to Wembley.
“So it is a really nice game to play, as this is the type of game we are looking for through the season.
“It’s not enough [to just win the cup], isolating just one competition. We have to play every competition to try to win it.
“Last season, we managed to win two of those and we have a really nice opportunity because we’ve done really well in the competition this year and this game is another step forward to be closer to winning another trophy and this is what we are going to try to do.
“But this doesn’t mean that it’s going to reflect on the rest or it’s going to look better because at the moment – whatever happens in any other competition – in the Premier League we’re nowhere near where we should be.”
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Arsenal v Man City: Match stats and facts
- Arsenal and Manchester City last met in the League Cup in the 2018 final, with City winning 3-0. The Gunners have lost their last three League Cup matches against City, also losing in the quarter-finals in both 2009/10 and 2011/12.
- Manchester City have won their last three away matches against Arsenal, all in the Premier League. City are the only team to win three consecutive away games against the Gunners at the Emirates, while the last team to win four consecutive away matches against Arsenal were Chelsea between 1960 and 1965 (six in a row).
- Arsenal have been eliminated from six of their last eight League Cup quarter-finals, reaching the semi-final in 2010/11 and 2017/18 in this run. This is the Gunners’ 29th appearance at this stage, more than any other club.
- Manchester City have progressed from/won the final in each of their last 17 League Cup ties and haven’t lost a League Cup match in London since December 2003 (1-3 vs Spurs), winning six and drawing two since, winning on penalties in the two draws.
- Since 2006/07, only Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (20) have won more League Cup matches at one venue than Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (19), with the Gunners winning seven of their last eight matches there (L1).
- Man City’s Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 17 goals in 25 appearances in the League Cup (10 goals, 7 assists) and has found the net in each of his last two matches at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, both Premier League encounters.
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