Man City lineup vs. Arsenal: Predicted XI for EFL Cup final as Marc Guehi situation explained

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola must find a solution to Marc Guehi's absence for Sunday's tantalising EFL Cup final showdown with Arsenal at Wembley.

Having not been signed by the Citizens before the first leg of their semi-final win over Newcastle United, the former Crystal Palace defender is ineligible for this contest and will helplessly watch on from the sidelines.

Guehi was only a second-half substitute in the midweek Champions League loss to Real Madrid anyway - Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov were given the nod instead - but the experienced John Stones could be preferred to the latter for a game of this magnitude.

Matheus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri are expected to be shoo-ins at full-back, but unlike his counterpart Mikel Arteta, Guardiola has confirmed his starting goalkeeper for the showpiece event - James Trafford.

Should Ait-Nouri try to keep Bukayo Saka in check down the left flank, Nico O'Reilly should be stationed in midfield, linking arms with Bernardo Silva and Rodri in the triumvirate.

O'Reilly's prospective promotion to the first XI would spell bad news for one of Man City's attackers, most likely Jeremy Doku, as Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo line up either side of Erling Haaland.

The Scandinavian rediscovered his scoring touch against Real in midweek, but in each of his previous six Wembley appearances for Man City, he has failed to score in any of them.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Nunes, Dias, Stones, Ait-Nouri; Silva, Rodri, O'Reilly; Cherki, Haaland, Semenyo

> Click here to see how Arsenal could line up for the EFL Cup final