Arsenal Boost? Pep Guardiola Furious Over Rule Barring Man City Star from Carabao Cup Final

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has voiced his frustration over a rule that prevents new £20 million signing Marc Guehi from playing in the upcoming Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.

Guardiola confirmed that he has urged the club's hierarchy to appeal to the English Football League (EFL) to allow the central defender to participate in the Wembley showdown on March 22.

This season, regulations were updated to permit players to represent two different clubs in the competition. Antoine Semenyo, for instance, played in both semi-final legs against Newcastle United.

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However, Guehi's eligibility is affected by a timing issue. He was signed after City's 2-0 first-leg victory, which ruled him out of the return fixture and, consequently, the final.

"Marc can hopefully play the final," Guardiola stated as quoted by Dailymail. "You pay a lot of money, and I can't understand why you can't play him in the final. Hopefully, we can convince them. Sometimes it's difficult to understand."

The City boss elaborated on the situation, saying, "Apparently, Marc couldn't play the second leg because he didn't play the first. Now it's the final, so why should he not play? Why not? We pay his salary; we hire him as our player. It's logic."

Guardiola, who also revealed that captain Bernardo Silva is "an incredible doubt" for Sunday's match against Liverpool, confirmed the club would take action. "We'll make a letter, and hopefully they understand he's not able to play for a rule that I don't understand. Hopefully, they can change it and he can play."

Despite his appeal, Guardiola remained pessimistic about the chances of a rule change. When asked if he thought the decision would be overturned, he replied, "No. To change the rule in this country? No way. We will try."