Man City send emphatic Carabao Cup message – but only three stars make it into combined XI with Arsenal

Manchester City might have sailed into the Carabao Cup final, but Arsenal stars dominate Alan Pardew’s combined XI of the two teams.

The Citizens set up a mouth-watering Wembley showdown with the Gunners, as they breezed past Newcastle with a 3-1 semi-final second leg win at the Etihad Stadium to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory.

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City ran riot in the first half, as a double from Omar Marmoush and a tidy finish from Tijjani Reijnders put them in cruise control.

Anthony Elanga pulled one back for the visitors in the second half with his first goal for the Magpies, but they were unable to claw their way back after a 2-0 first-leg defeat at St James’ Park.

But Pep Guardiola‘s side are likely to face a much bigger test in the final, in a meeting between the Premier League‘s top two teams.

Arsenal booked their ticket to Wembley on Tuesday night by beating Chelsea 1-0 in their second leg clash, winning 4-2 on aggregate.

Grudge match renewed

Arsenal and City will resume their rivalry at Wembley on March 22, as they fight for the first silverware of the season.

It sees the two sides battle it out on another stage, having been locked into a Premier League title race this season, with the Gunners currently six points clear of the Citizens at the summit.

While there has been precious little to separate the two sides in recent years, City have pipped the north Londoners to the title in two of the last three seasons.

Despite the Citizens enjoying greater success, former Newcastle boss Pardew believes Arsenal currently boast the pick of the players.

Asked to name a combined XI between the two sides, the talkSPORT pundit opted for just three of Guardiola’s current stars, as the Premier League leaders dominated in defence and midfield.

Defence: Arsenal clean sweep

Selecting his goalkeeper, Pardew opted for Arsenal’s David Raya ahead of Man City’s summer arrival Gianluigi Donnarumma.

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Since his arrival from Brentford in 2023, Spaniard Raya has established himself as a world-class shot stopper, and leads the way in Premier League clean sheets this season with an impressive 12.

Moving onto the back four, Pardew went for an all-Gunners affair, as he named Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori as his full-backs.

At centre-back was Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, who have formed a formidable partnership in recent years.

Together, the two defenders have kept a staggering 48 clean sheets in 106 Premier League games together, the second-most of any centre-back pairing since 2000.

A standout omission was Marc Guehi, who earned a reputation as a rock at the back with former club Crystal Palace, before his £20million move to the Etihad in January.

On leaving the England international out, Pardew said: “No Guehi, although I love him. I love him to bits.”

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Midfield: Rodri, Cherki and Foden all snubbed

Arsenal were once again the dominant force in Pardew’s midfield, who went for a central midfield pairing of Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice.

Since his £100m arrival in 2023, Rice has cemented himself as indispensable in the centre of the park for the Gunners.

The Englishman has four Premier League goals and five assists this term, and his performances have been boosted by the stability provided by summer signing Zubimendi at the base of midfield.

Pardew then named his first Man City player in the combined XI, selecting Bernardo Silva ahead of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

Silva has helped his club to six Premier League titles in eight years, with the talkSPORT host conceding, ‘that’s a tough call’, to choose the Portuguese over Norwegian playmaker Odegaard.

Among the City stars to miss out on a spot in Pardew’s midfield were 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, England star Phil Foden and standout summer signing Rayan Cherki.

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Attack: Haaland and Doku give City the edge

One area of the field where Man City dominate was in attack, with Pardew opting for both Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku in his front three.

The Norwegian goal machine has rattled in 20 Premier League goals this season, and is a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner.

He was chosen ahead of Arsenal’s £74million summer arrival Viktor Gyokeres, while Pardew admitted he could easily have chosen another City star ahead of Doku on the wing.

January arrival Antoine Semenyo has fired in four goals in six games a City shirt already, to add to his ten with former club Bournemouth.

On choosing the Belgian winger – who has six league assists this term – over Semenyo, Pardew insisted: “That was a close call.”

Bukayo Saka was the sole Arsenal representative in Pardew’s front three, having established himself as one of the Premier League’s most effective players in recent years, and boasts four goals and assists this term.

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