Arsenal vs. Man City: The EFL Cup final that means more for Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola

No adult men in cartoon character costumes will be presenting Arsenal or Manchester City with their winners' medals on Sunday afternoon, for the EFL Cup is the furthest thing from the 'Mickey Mouse Cup' for both fired-up finalists.

A competition that has long been the subject of ridicule - often from rival supporters towards their conquerors in a desperate attempt to save face - the League Cup may not have been high on Mikel Arteta or Pep Guardiola's priority list before the first ball was kicked this season.

Now that they are here, this means more.

Arsenal vs. Man City - What victory and defeat means for Mikel Arteta in EFL Cup final

When Arsenal last got their hands on the unique EFL Cup trophy, Arteta had recently turned 11 years old, none of his current Gunners squad had even been born, and Young at Heart by The Bluebells was UK number one.

Since a Paul Merson-inspired Arsenal outfit took down Sheffield Wednesday at the old Wembley, red and white hearts have been left broken by a few near misses, namely the Birmingham City Laurent Koscielny-Wojciech Szczesny calamity in 2011 - some say Obafemi Martins is still flipping to this day.

Arsenal's string of failures in the EFL Cup is most peculiar given their affinity for glory in the FA Cup - as demonstrated by an unrivalled 14 successes in the competition - but while Man City were collecting winners' medals for fun, the Gunners often did not have the depth to compete.

One of the rare trophies that Arsene Wenger never got his hands on, Arsenal have lost a record six EFL Cup finals, but there is arguably no 'deadwood' in the squad right now; every player in Arteta's ranks has earned the right to don the badge.

But Arsenal winning on Sunday is not simply about exorcising their EFL Cup demons, or keeping the unfathomable quadruple dream alive; it is about changing the status quo.

Until Arteta's men wildly spray champagne while fireworks fly around them, the 'bottlers' label will be stuck firmly to their chests - a label that fans of adversaries have been able to use as a get-out-of-jail-free card when losing an argument.

Some will inevitably say 'it is only the League Cup' if Arsenal come up trumps, but Arteta's young squad - many of whom have not tasted senior success at this scale - can belatedly call themselves winners, and no-one could take it away from them.

An EFL Cup triumph is not always a strong measure of success later in the season - see Liverpool 2024 - but needless to say, the psychological boost of victory would do wonders for Arsenal's pursuit of the famous four.

Should the North London titans settle for second place again, rival fanbases can poke their fun yes, but only time will tell if the heartbreak will hamper their FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League chances - the evidence from this season so far suggests not.

Arsenal vs. Man City - What victory and defeat means for Pep Guardiola in EFL Cup final

Not a single soul outside the Guardiola household may know what the Catalan coach has planned for his future beyond the end of the season, but the farewell whispers have inevitably been circulating for the past few months.

It would only be fitting for Guardiola to clear out his office with a fifth EFL Cup winners' medal in his suitcase, a medal that would also make him the most successful manager in the history of the competition, having already overseen four straight triumphs from 2017 to 2021.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss will certainly care little for that individual accolade, though, especially considering the sticky situation his side find themselves in before a familiar sojourn to the FA's headquarters.

Consigned to Champions League ignominy by perpetual nemeses Real Madrid, and trailing Arsenal by nine points in the Premier League title race - albeit with a game in hand - the psychological impact of success for the Sky Blues would be immeasurable.

For the first time in a long time, Man City arguably go into a game against Arsenal as the firm underdogs, having won just one of their last five games in all tournaments while their coach comes under unfamiliar fire for his tactical tinkering.

Win on Sunday, and the Citizens would not only send the message to themselves that a near full-strength Arsenal are beatable, but also to the rest of the Premier League. Not that any of their rivals want to do either side favours in the title race, but his managerial colleagues would no doubt take notice.

A few weeks before both teams lock horns at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League - a game that City surely cannot afford to lose or draw if they are to top the tree again - Sky Blues supporters can afford to dream the top-flight dream once again if their side emerge victorious in the EFL Cup final.

However, defeat would only strengthen the suggestions that the Guardiola golden era is drawing to a close, and that the eight-time EFL Cup winners have been firmly bumped down the English football food chain.