Premier League champions Manchester City take on rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final for the second year running at Wembley.
Manc City made history on Sunday by becoming the first side to ever win four Premier League titles in a row and they will be looking to cap off another brilliant season by beating their bitter rivals Man Utd in the FA Cup final.
Two managers in very different places
The Manchester clubs met in the Wembley showdown last season, with Man City prevailing 2-1 on that occasion thanks to a brace from Ilkay Gundogan. Man City come into this tie as strong favourites once more following a dismal season for the Red Devils which saw them crash out in the Champions League group stage and come eighth in the Premier League – their worst ever finish. They need to win the FA Cup to return to Europe.
As a result of those performances, time is ticking for manager Erik ten Hag. Di Marzio reported on Wednesday that the Dutchman would be leaving at the end of the season, regardless of the FA Cup final outcome. Mauricio Pochettino’s exit from Chelsea has made the Argentine the new favourite for the Old Trafford hotseat.
In stark contrast, Pep Guardiola was named the Premier League manager of the season on Tuesday evening, highlighting the exceptional job he has done with Man City, and the serial winner will be keen to add a third FA Cup to his extensive trophy haul with the Citizens.
Man City won both league meetings between the pair this season, prevailing 6-1 on aggregate, and they will be confident of landing another Manchester Derby victory in the capital this weekend.
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FA Cup Final team news
Ederson missed Man City’s final-day win over West Ham after suffering a fractured eye socket following a collision against Tottenham. He will again be unavailable, but given Stefan Ortega has started every FA Cup game prior to the final, he may not have started in goal even if he was fit.
Guardiola could name an unchanged XI from the one which landed a fourth consecutive Premier League on Sunday, although John Stones, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez will be pushing for recalls.
Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial and Mason Mount were pictured in training this week and will all hope to recover in time for the final. However, Harry Maguire has been ruled out of the game by Ten Hag, with Luke Shaw also expected on the sidelines. Tyrell Malacia is a certain absentee.
Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have all returned from injury recently and will all be looking to start, with Amad Diallo, Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat the likeliest trio to make way.
FA Cup Final predicted line-ups:
Man City (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Wan-Bissaka; Casemiro, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.