The 142nd FA Cup final will feature a Manchester derby for the first time when treble-chasing Manchester City and vengeful rivals and EFL Cup winners Manchester United square off on Saturday afternoon beneath the famed arch of Wembley Stadium.
At Wembley Stadium, the FA Cup final is scheduled to begin at 3 PM Nigerian time.
The Red Devils are vying for the renowned trophy for a 13th time, while the Citizens are attempting to win England’s oldest trophy for the seventh time in their existence.
Man City is attempting to make history by becoming the first English team since rivals Man United in 1998-99 to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the same season, four years after achieving the first-ever domestic quadruple in English football.
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With Pep Guardiola’s team finishing the Premier League season five points ahead of their closest rivals Arsenal, the Citizens have already won one trophy after winning the top division title for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in six seasons.
A heavily rotated City team lost 1-0 to Brentford in their final league game of the year last Sunday, ending their remarkable 25-game unbeaten streak across all competitions with one eye on their quest of the treble.
However, Guardiola has effectively limited the playing time of his first-team stars over the past two weeks and believes they have heeded his advise to temporarily ‘separate’ from the demands of their busy schedule in order to prepare for Saturday’s titanic matchup with their fiercest rivals.
In a few weeks, Man City will go to Istanbul for the Champions League championship match against Inter Milan, but for now, their attention is on the FA Cup and their 12th trophy final.
In their previous 11 FA Cup finals, the Citizens have six wins and five losses. Their most recent triumph came in 2019 when they romped to a stunning 6-0 victory over Watford, the joint-largest winning margin in cup final history.
Only Preston North End in 1889 and Bury in 1903 have ever won the FA Cup without giving up a goal. Man City have defeated Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley, and Sheffield United en route to their Wembley appearance, defeating the latter 3-0 in the semi-finals thanks to a hat-trick from Riyad Mahrez.
The Citizens have a perfect record in domestic cup finals under Guardiola, winning five of them overall since his arrival in 2016—despite losing four of their last six trips to Wembley and failing to score in three of those. The Citizens are also the top FA Cup goal scorers this season with 17 goals.
While winning the FA Cup vs Man United will undoubtedly help Man City’s treble chances, they will not be taking their opponents lightly this weekend after falling short by a score of 2-1 at Old Trafford in the most recent derby matchup in January.
Indeed, after winning their last four Premier League games to secure third place and Champions League football for next season, despite finishing 14 points behind champions Man City, Man United enter their 21st FA Cup final – the joint-most of any team in the competition’s history with Arsenal.
The Red Devils defeated Fulham 2-1 on the last day of the season, with goals from Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes turning the game around after Kenny Tete had put the hosts ahead earlier in the week with a decisive 4-1 home victory over Chelsea.
Few would have predicted Man United would rebound in such impressive style after losing to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford to open the 2022-23 season. Now that the club has ensured a top-four finish, Erik ten Hag is attempting to lead the team to their first-ever domestic cup double.
The Dutchman, who has been dubbed a “exceptional manager” by Guardiola, helped his team win the EFL Cup at the end of February after defeating Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley, ending United’s six-year trophy drought. The Red Devils will undoubtedly take great pleasure in stopping Man City from completing the treble by winning the FA Cup on Saturday.
Man United are competing in their first FA Cup final for five years after successfully navigating their way past Everton, Reading, West Ham United, Fulham and Brighton, winning their first four ties by a 3-1 scoreline before eliminating the Seagulls in a nerve-racking penalty shootout following a goalless semi-final draw after 120 minutes.
The Red Devils last had their hands on the FA Cup in 2015-16 when they required extra time and a late Jesse Lingard winner to beat Crystal Palace 2-1, two years before losing 1-0 to Chelsea in their most recent final in the competition.
Only Arsenal (14) have ever won the FA Cup on more occasions than Man United (12), although the latter do hold an unwanted record for the joint-most defeats (eight) in the competition’s showpiece event along with both Chelsea and Everton.
Man United will enter Saturday’s final as a little underdog on this unusual occasion because they have lost three of their past four derby matches against Man City by an overall score of 12-4, including a crushing 6-3 Premier League loss earlier this season.
The sole exception being a 1-0 semi-final loss at Wembley in the 2010–11 season. However, they can draw some confidence from their FA Cup head-to-head record with the Citizens, as they have won five of the last six games with their obnoxious neighbours, most recently winning 3-2 away in January 2012.
Man City’s potential starting lineup would consist of Ortega, Walker, Dias, Ake, Stones, Rodri, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish, and Haaland.
Possible starting lineup for Manchester United includes De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw, Casemiro, Eriksen, Sancho, Fernandes, Garnacho, and Rashford.
