Soccer-Guardiola seeks rule change to make Guehi eligible for League Cup final


  • Football
  • Thursday, 05 Feb 2026

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 24, 2026 Manchester City's Marc Guehi reacts REUTERS/Phil Noble

Feb 5 (Reuters) - Manchester ‌City manager Pep Guardiola wants defender ‌Marc Guehi to be allowed to ‌play in their League Cup final against Arsenal, saying the club will ask organisers to reconsider eligibility rules.

City ‍booked their place at Wembley ‍with a 3-1 ‌home win over Newcastle United in Wednesday’s semi-final ‍second ​leg, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Competition rules make Guehi ineligible for ⁠the final because he featured earlier in ‌the tournament for Crystal Palace, and joined City ⁠after the ‍first leg of the semi-final.

"Why should he (Guehi) not play? Why not? We pay his salary, ‍he is our player," Guardiola ‌told reporters.

"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.

"I told the club we must ask – hopefully we ‌can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final."

The League Cup final between City ​and Arsenal is scheduled for March 22.

(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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