Manchester United have already won the League Cup trophy this season and now they are coming back to Wembley to try and complete the domestic cup double. They will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final and here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.
Team News
Man City have recently had issues with players at their disposal, but they should not have major worries ahead of this match in that regard. Stefan Ortega will be in goal, as Pep Guardiola confirmed the second-choice goalkeeper will continue as their number one in this competition, after good showings so far in previous rounds. Four Man City players missed out on their defeat against Brentford, as Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish and Kevin de Bruyne did not feature due to minor issues. But it has been confirmed since that they are now pretty much ready to feature for the final two games of the season. Nathan Ake should also be ready after he spent over 60 minutes on the pitch last time out, following his hamstring injury. Basically, all the problems Guardiola will face in terms of his starting eleven is which eleven players to choose from a huge squad.
Man United on the other hand, have problems with the likes of Antony, Anthony Martial, Lisandro Martinez, Donny van de Beek, Tom Heaton and Marcel Sabitzer. Antony is unlikely to play after failing to recover from his ankle injury, while Martial has already been ruled out of contention due to a hamstring injury. The latter four players mentioned above have been injured for a while now and it is no surprise they will not be ready to play in another big final for Man United this season.
Form Guide
Manchester City are going into this FA Cup final in the best possible form. Looking merely at their recent results, the picture does not seem so great, due to a 1-1 draw at Brighton and a 1-0 loss to Brentford, also away from home. But then again, those results came after Pep Guardiola’s side won the Premier League title, their fifth in the last six years. Considering they still have two of their most important matches of the campaign, the FA Cup final and the Champions League final, it is no wonder City slowed down a bit, after going on a run of 18 wins and two draws in their previous 20 matches. That run stretches back all the way to late February.
Man United, on the other hand, are also in a much better form than they were some weeks ago. After those painful consecutive 1-0 away losses, the Devils managed to get four consecutive wins. Three of them came at home, but then agin, they include a 4-1 beating of Chelsea and 2-1 victory against Fulham. Ten Hag’s side finished the Premier League campaign in third place, which is a great start for the Dutchman in the Premier League, but then again, no great finish is going to matter much when facing Manchester City. Poor form or great form, it could still not matter at all.
Predicted Outcome
Manchester City are clear favourites in this match and if we go by reason, we predict Manchester City to edge out this final by a narrow margin, but if we are going by the unpredictability of finals and our emotions, then we must assume Manchester United will conclude their campaign with yet another piece of silverware.
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