Pep Guardiola hailed Arsenal as ‘the best team in Europe and maybe the world’ after Manchester City set up a Carabao Cup final against the Gunners by beating holders Newcastle United.
Man City took control of their semi-final tie against Newcastle by winning 2-0 at St James’ Park and completed the job with a 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Omar Marmoush’s quickfire brace and Tijjani Reijnders’ goal saw City race into a 3-0 lead inside the opening 33 minutes before Anthony Elanga scored a second-half consolation for Newcastle.
Manchester City will face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on March 22 after the Premier League leaders beat London rivals Chelsea 4-2 on aggregate in their semi-final.
Guardiola insisted he was ‘looking forward’ to taking on his former assistant Mikel Arteta in a major final and urged his players to be ‘ready’ to face the best team not only in Europe but in the world.
Arsenal still have ambitions of a stunning quadruple this season as they chase their first Premier League title since 2004 and Champions League glory following a flawless group campaign.
‘Hopefully, we arrive all good, all fit in March to compete against an exceptional, top-class team,’ Guardiola said after eliminating Carabao Cup holders Newcastle.
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‘Hopefully, we arrive fit, fine, well, everybody ready. I’m looking forward to that. That is all.
‘It will be good. You have to live this experience. The first title we won here was in the Carabao Cup. When you win something, it helps to win more.
‘It’s a pleasure to play against Arsenal, the best team right now in Europe and maybe the world.’
Goalscorer Reijnders also heaped praise on Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final opponents, describing the Gunners as ‘amazing’.
‘It will be a tough match, but we will be very hungry and we want to win this title,’ he said.
‘They play amazing and they are a really balanced team. We have to analyse and see where we can gain our strength.
‘We were very eager to go to the final and we showed that from the first minute. Amazing team performance.
‘I play football to win trophies. Now I am going to Wembley for the first time that will be amazing. We will do everything to win the Carabao Cup.’
Ex-Man City defender Micah Richards praised his former club’s ‘professional performance’ against Newcastle while raising concerns over the Magpies’ drop-off this season.
‘I thought City were excellent in that first half in terms of dominating the game, scoring the goals and finishing Newcastle off,’ he said on Sky Sports.
‘The first goal was vital and it was good professional performance. The big picture is that Newcastle aren’t taking their chances.
‘I think Nick Woltemade is a good player but he is not suiting the system, with how Newcastle want to play. When Newcastle are at their best, they are on the front foot, counter-attacking and when they went forward Woltemade is nowhere to be seen.
‘They need to figure out what they want to be. If they are going to stick with Woltemade up front they need to work out how to get him into the game.’
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