Our Manchester City fans here in the Transfer Tavern are hoping that Sunday sees Pep Guardiola pick up his first piece of Silverware in England.

Guardiola has been at Man City for just over 18 months now, and even though he found life tough in his first season, many of the regulars feel that he’s now adapted to the English game. The Spaniard has brought his personal brand of football to the Premier League, and with dazzling results too in the league, where they are all but mathematically confirmed as champions.

On Sunday, against what should be a hungry Arsenal side looking for their first league cup trophy under Arsene Wenger, they will contest their first final under his legendary watch. The Citizens in the bar are sure hoping for a better performance than that in the FA Cup on Monday night against League 1 outfit Wigan Athletic, where their dreams of a quadruple came crashing down.

Guardiola needs to have everyone on top form, furthermore, our landlord thinks that if these TWO players turn up, then City will no doubt be bringing home the Carabao Cup…

Ederson

Arsenal with their new exciting and very dangerous frontline should be giving Ederson a headache all afternoon. If Man City are to win the cup, then Ederson needs to have a big game performance and push forward from his area in order to stop Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng roaming into the spaces left behind City’s defenders.

Indeed, the Gunners could bring the same attitude as they did against Everton and if they do, they are going to take some stopping.

Still, the ‘keeper has been in inspired form for much of the season so far and really laid to rest City’s goalkeeping problems.

Kevin De Bruyne

As many of the regulars noticed in the Wigan game on Monday, when De Bruyne came on to the pitch the whole team was lifted. He certainly makes players want to play and create space knowing that he can find them with a defence cutting pass in an instant, so should enjoy a lot of space in behind Arsenal’s rather indisciplined engine room.

The Belgian makes City tick in the middle of the park, and he has to pull the strings to get the Citizens playing like they have done so far this season.