Arsenal latest: Mikel Arteta handed double headache barely 24 hours before Carabao Cup final

Arsenal take on Manchester City in Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley with Mikel Arteta given plenty to consider

Arsenal have the opportunity to complete the first leg of a potential Quadruple when they face Manchester City in Sunday's Carabao Cup final. Gunners manager Mikel Arteta hasn't led the club to major silverware since they lifted the FA Cup in 2020 and the manager has been presented with considerable food for thought in the build-up to the fixture.

City remain the sole club with a genuine prospect of preventing Arsenal from securing the Premier League crown. A nine-point margin separates the two clubs, though Pep Guardiola's challengers have a game in hand as well as home advantage in April's meeting with Arteta's side.

The Premier League's leading pair could yet be in line for a further collision in the FA Cup, where the quarter-final draw has matched City with Liverpool and Arsenal with Southampton. A European meeting is now impossible after Guardiola's team were knocked out by Real Madrid but Arsenal remain in with a chance of Champions League glory.

Both bosses will have dedicated recent days to their preparations for Sunday's Wembley encounter, but Arteta has a distraction or two to contend with. Below are our latest updates from North London.

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Arteta's selection dilemma

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson finds himself divided over Mikel Arteta's goalkeeping choice heading into the Carabao Cup final. Kepa Arrizabalaga has featured in all five matches throughout the tournament thus far, leaving Arteta to determine whether to persist with his cup goalkeeper or recall regular number one David Raya after some big saves in other competitions.

"Kepa has been first-choice in the Carabao Cup and I think they should stick with him," Merson wrote for Sportskeeda. "It's only fair because he played well and got you to this stage.

"But I must admit, Raya is world-class! The saves he made against Everton and Leverkusen, absolutely phenomenal.

"However, if I were the manager, I would still stick to my principles and choose Kepa as the keeper for the final. He's not let the team down in this competition and deserves to start."

Merson featured in Arsenal's most recent League Cup final success, defeating Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. The club have been beaten finalists on three occasions since, including against Manchester City in 2018.

City handed fixture list advantage

Manchester City have received some welcome news as they attempt to close the gap on Arsenal during the season's concluding weeks. Mikel Arteta may have anticipated seeing the Gunners' title challengers hampered by fixture pile-up surrounding their outstanding fixture, however one potential scheduling slot has now been eliminated.

City's game in hand comes against Crystal Palace fixture after the match was postponed owing to the Carabao Cup final. Arsenal's encounter with Wolves, also originally planned for the same weekend as the final has already been played with Arsenal drawing 2-2 at Molineux.

Had things turned out differently, City might have been able to meet Palace during the same midweek window. However, the Eagles had a Conference League play-off the subsequent day and therefore a new date still needs to be found.

Pep Guardiola's team were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday, creating the prospect of staging their rearranged league match at the same time as Arsenal's European quarter-final. Nevertheless, Palace's advancement in Europe - they defeated AEK Larnaca after extra-time on Thursday - has eliminated that possibility.

This means, as matters currently stand, City are due to be in action just four times compared to Arsenal's six in April and the Palace clash might not be playable until May. Arsenal and City will meet in a vital league encounter on the third weekend of April in what already looks like a very taxing month for the league leaders.