Man City given extra fixture handicap before Arsenal Carabao Cup final

Manchester City will have three lengthy trips in the week before they make their way to London for the Carabao Cup final

Manchester City and Arsenal both had favourable ties in the FA Cup Fourth round but only one of them held their luck for the next draw. While Arsenal were drawn away to League One side Mansfield Town - conquerors of Burnley at the weekend - City will head up to St James Park for the third time this season to face Newcastle.

Pep Guardiola's side have already lost there in the league back in November and knocked them out of the Carabao Cup over a two-legged semi-final to book their place against Arsenal at Wembley next month. Two weeks before that final, City are back in the north-east trying to make the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the expense of Eddie Howe and his increasingly familiar team.

It's one of the toughest tests City could have had at this stage, and also adds to their handicap ahead of the Carabao Cup final. While Arsenal will be travelling a similar distance two weeks before the final, playing a team they are two divisions above allows more opportunity to rest some of their most important players.

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Both teams are away in Europe for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash shortly after, but then when Arsenal host Everton at the Emirates the next weekend City are down in London to play West Ham at 8pm on the Saturday for a third successive away game. Then, following a home game each in the Champions League to finish off the last-16, it is to Wembley for the league cup final on March 22; a 22-mile round trip for Arsenal and 410 for the Blues.

Guardiola joked about playing a final in the north of England one day as his side booked their 22nd visit to Wembley during his decade at the club. It will never happen so City should be used to it but it will not make it any easier when as far as travel goes it is as much an away fixture for them as it is home for Arsenal.

The FA Cup draw has helped City in the sense that Arsenal's travel for that fortnight has shot up from 22 to 302 miles courtesy of their trip to Mansfield (plus whoever they draw in the Champions League, but both teams are looking at the similar distance for their last-16 games). But the trip to Newcastle adds another 290 onto City's to take them to 1150 miles, further complicating their schedule.

Those are the potential issues that come with going for success in four competitions, and City will have more favourable runs when Arsenal have more travel. But if the Guardiola and his side want to claim victory in the Carabao Cup final, they will have to take a longer road to get there.

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