Arsenal's Arsene Wenger has the Wembley magic touch but this Carabao Cup final could be his last stand

Arsene Wenger has found salvation in his remarkable Wembley record — and desperately needs another big result there this weekend.

Incredibly, Arsenal have been victorious in their last nine showpiece games at the national stadium in the FA Cup and Community Shield, always managing to rise to the big occasion.

Even more tellingly, in the FA Cup finals in 2014 and 2017, Wenger was at the end of contracts. He knew defeat would leave the fans screaming for him to go and yet somehow pulled off a result under the most severe pressure.

Arsenal went 2-0 down to Hull four years ago and you could see the nerves jangling before they came back to win and history repeated itself last May when they upset the odds to beat newly-crowned champions Chelsea.

April 12, 2014: Holders Wigan are beaten on penalties in an FA Cup semi-final

 May 17, 2014: Hull go 2-0 up in the FA Cup final, but Arsenal rally for an extra-time win

 August 10, 2014: Santi Cazorla is among the goals that defeat champions Man City in the Community Shield

Now with his future firmly in the balance again, Wenger must get another result with the pressure on and this time it is the Carabao Cup final offering him a lifeline.

Make no mistake, Sunday's meeting with title-bound Manchester City is win-or-bust for Arsenal.

A trophy guarantees his future, finishing empty-handed and also failing to reach next season’s Champions League would increase the chances of the Frenchman leaving this summer.

Once again, Arsenal go into this final as underdogs, especially after the dismal 2-1 defeat to Swedish minnows Ostersund in the Europa League on Thursday night.

 April 18, 2015: Championship Reading force extra time but lose an FA Cup semi, 2-1

 May 30, 2015: The Gunners retain the FA Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa 

 August 2, 2015: The Wenger-Mourinho rivalry is alive and well after a 1-0 Community Shield win over Chelsea 

As reward for their 4-2 aggregate victory, they have been handed a tough last-16 draw against AC Milan in the competition that surely represents their best hope of a return to the Champions League as its winners.

Arsenal have their backs against the wall but, in fairness, that is when Wenger has been at his best — and now he faces a huge test against the best team in the country.

“The pressure is immense always, yes — last year, it was immense,” said Wenger.

“You must have enough belief to think you can do it, that on the day you managed to turn up with the right spirit and right mentality, the right belief.

 April 23, 2017: More FA Cup semis extra time, and a 2-1 defeat of De Bruyne and Man City

 May 27, 2017: Champions Chelsea are knocked off 2-1 to complete a hat-trick of FA Cups

August 6, 2017: Penalty shootout triumph over Chelsea in the Community Shield

“The final, everyone says you have to be motivated. But it also finding the right balance between focus and motivation and being relaxed enough to play your game. That will be the target again: to have a belief but to find that right balance.

“We are maybe underdogs but we have to believe in our quality. The history, the fact we have done it before, shows 'Why not do it again?'"

Facing a crisis is nothing new to Wenger, but it does feel as if the walls are closing in again.

Arsenal are stuck in sixth, despite the January arrivals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to boost their attack, the fans are restless and only a trophy can change the mood.