IT’S Batman v Superman at Wembley today.
In the red corner is Arsenal’s £60million star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who loves dressing up as the Dark Knight.
In the blue corner is Manchester City’s own superhero Sergio Aguero. The A-listers are two of the most prolific strikers in world football.
KAPOW! Aguero is City’s record goalscorer with 198 in 287 games — including four in a Premier League game an unprecedented three times.
KABOOM! The man who celebrates his goals by donning superhero masks boasts stats that are not too shabby, either.
The former African Footballer of the Year bagged an incredible 141 goals in just 213 games during his time at former club Borussia Dortmund.
The winner of this afternoon’s shootout will lift the Carabao Cup. If it is Aubameyang, his winner’s medal will sit nicely alongside his growing collection of superhero memorabilia.
His favourite is Batman and his obsession with the caped crusader began as a kid growing up in the French town of Laval.
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The eldest of his two sons, Curtys, six, has also caught the superhero bug.
And in an exclusive SunSport interview PEA revealed: “I have liked Batman for as long as I can remember.
“I’m a fan of all the Batman films, but The Dark Knight is my favourite.
“And if I was a villain in a Batman movie, I’d definitely be the Joker. People ask why I like him. It’s because his make-up shows he always has a smile. Just like me.
“I have Batman stuff everywhere in my home, no matter where I settle. I’ve got posters and special edition stuff.
“My son has a love for it, too, and it’s all for him.”
Auba’s Instagram page has numerous pictures of him dressed in superhero clothing, plus a poster that reads: “I can’t keep calm because I am Batman.”
He has even dubbed himself BatBam, while he once arrived at a German fast food restaurant in a Spider-Man mask.
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Sportswear giants Nike turned him into their own superhero the Masked Finisher in an advert for a new boot, while his mask-wearing goal celebrations at Dortmund went viral.
“So do not be surprised if he dons another one if he scores at Wembley. He added: “It’s a good idea. I don’t think so, but you never know.”
His Batman love-in has also spawned his huge collection of supercars.
The Gabon striker, 28, has owned two Ferraris, two Lamborghinis, two Audi R8s, two Porsches an Aston Martin and . . . a VW Beetle.
Most have been customised, with his silver Lambo Aventador emblazoned with his own “A” logo across the bonnet.
PEA said: “I’m sure Batman is where my thing with fast cars comes from. His Batmobile is always quick. I made a New Year’s resolution last year to drive slowly but it didn’t happen!
“Speed is my thing. I love fast cars. The rush.”
He is not too slow outside the vehicle, either and can cover 30 metres faster than the world’s greatest sprinter Usain Bolt.
And Arsenal will need him to be at his sharpest today to stop Pep Guardiola landing his first trophy as Manchester City boss.
But even though the Gunners start as massive underdogs, PEA believes they can give manager Arsene Wenger the one domestic trophy he has not won.
He added: “City’s place at the top of the table is not by chance.
“They are really that good and we will have to play very, very well to beat them.
“The teams which have beaten them have been brave, so we must not be afraid of the good season they’ve had so far.
“This is a cup final, a one-off, so form doesn’t matter. We just have to focus and kill it.
“It’s been a while since I won something so I would love to change that.
“Everyone wants to finish their career and have stories of winning trophies and I’m no different.
“People think Arsenal is a club that doesn’t have an attitude to win, but they should come and check our dressing room. The guys really want this. Very much.”
He also has a message for the disgruntled Gunners fans who want Wenger out.
He said: “Maybe Arsenal have not won a Premier League title in a while, but Mr Wenger deserves respect. If I had any doubt of his credentials I would not have come.”
PEA also respects his African roots — he has a map of Africa, adorned by a golden eagle, tattooed on his back.
And he dreams of emulating Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Didier Drogba by scoring the winner in a Wembley final.
He said: “We all watched games on TV being played at Wembley and I know how special it is for the fans.
“Great African players have created history there, like Didier, and it would be nice to win something important there.”
He may cross paths with old Dortmund team-mate Ilkay Gundogan today for the first time since the City midfielder slammed him over the way he left for the Emirates on Deadline Day.
Aubameyang was suspended by the Germans last month after he missed a team meeting in January having been disciplined over other punctuality problems.
Gundogan — who left the Bundesliga club for City in 2016 — labelled Aubameyang’s antics “a burden” on the club, adding: “I do not know if I could have done it the way Auba did.”
But PEA insisted: “That’s in the past. We’ve moved on. I am at Arsenal and he is at City. We’re both focused on winning a trophy for our teams. I can’t be distracted by such things.”
Aubameyang also says he is driven not by money but by success on the pitch.
He said: “I usually train harder than many of my mates because it is not about money. How much can you spend?
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“Making a name for yourself is another thing. Win things and the money will come.”
If he wins a lot at Arsenal he will surely get his own BatBam movie . . .
ARSENAL (likely): Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Wilshere, Elneny, Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Aubameyang.
MAN CITY (likely): Bravo, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, B Silva, De Bruyne, D Silva, Sane, Aguero.
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