Man City to make official rule change request for Arsenal Carabao Cup final clash

Manchester City will request permission from the EFL for Marc Guehi to play in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal

Manchester City will request permission from the Football League to include Marc Guehi in March's Carabao Cup final against Arsenal. City's new signing was unavailable for the semi-final second leg triumph over Newcastle United, having completed his transfer too late to be eligible for the opening encounter.

City's other January acquisition Antoine Semenyo had secured his move before that fixture in the north east and featured prominently, finding the net in the 2-0 victory.

Arsenal also booked their place in the Carabao Cup final with a 1-0 win over Chelsea in their semi-final second leg earlier this week, which helped the Gunners clinch a 4-2 aggregate victory.

City capitalised on a rule change for this campaign that permitted players to represent two different clubs in the same tournament, enabling Semenyo and Max Alleyne to participate in the semi-final despite previously turning out for Bournemouth and Watford respectively in earlier stages.

They were also permitted to include Sverre Nypan in their matchday squad for the second leg, given his absence from the competition during his loan spell at Middlesbrough, reports the Manchester Evening News.

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Nevertheless, Guehi remains ineligible for the Wembley final against Arsenal due to timing restrictions requiring players to be registered with their new club before the semi-final first leg.

This regulation ensures Guehi will once again be forced to watch from the sidelines, whilst Semenyo and Alleyne remain available for selection.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed the club will appeal to the football authorities following their Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Newcastle, requesting for the rules to be changed to allow Guehi to participate in the Wembley showpiece. Guardiola expressed his surprise that a player recruited during the January transfer window will be ineligible for the March final.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola said: "Hopefully in March, we can arrive with the player's fit and hopefully you can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc Guehi can play in the final because it's difficult to understand that the club who make a big investment to pay one player who belongs to us and I don't understand why he cannot play the final.

"So hopefully we write a letter and hopefully the Carabao Cup can understand. He's not able to play for a rule that I don't understand why. Hopefully, they can change it."

The City boss elaborated further during his post-match press conference.

"Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup (EFL) that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play the final," Guardiola said.

"Hopefully we make a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it. You hire a player and he can be disposed the next day. Hopefully we can convince the biggest teams. It is difficult to understand.

"Apparently Marc cannot play the second leg because he didn't play the first. And Antoine arrived before the first so could play. And now it's the final. Why should he [Guehi] not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player. It's like the Champions League, the last two games cannot play.

"I said to the club, they have to ask, definitely. I don't understand the reason why he cannot play in the final in March, when I have been here for a long time. The rules to buy a player depends on FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League who say, okay the transfer window is open, when you buy a player you have to play, no? It's logic. Of course we are going to try to ask [for] him to play. Pure logic."