Home of football statistics and historyIn a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final, beaten finalists Manchester United will be looking to repay the kindness to crosstown rivals Manchester City on May 25. The betting odds vastly favour the FA Cup holders, but there are plenty of value bets to back the underdogs on a hub of betting promo codes and tips for South African bettors, if you so choose to believe in United’s capacity for chaos.
Erik ten Hag’s side failed to spoil Man City’s treble quest in last year’s showpiece event as Ilkay Gundogan’s double inspired Pep Guardiola’s team to a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium.
Failure is not an option this time, with the Dutchman’s future at the club hanging by a thread amid a disastrous 2023/24 campaign, highlighted by a bottom-place finish in the Champions League groups stages.
The mood in the other camp is quite the opposite, even though Real Madrid crushed City’s dream of becoming the first team in English football history to win back-to-back trebles.
After equaling United’s historic feat under Sir Alex Ferguson towards the end of the 20th century last term, the Cityzens have fallen short of an unprecedented achievement this season.
However, everything is going to plan on the domestic front.
Man City left it late to squeeze past fellow top-flight rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals as Bernardo Silva’s 84th-minute winner settled a dramatic duel at Wembley.
United’s road to the final wasn’t as nearly as straightforward, even though it should’ve been plain sailing on paper.
The Red Devils harboured a 3-0 win against second-tier Coventry City by the 70th minute, only to concede three times down the final stretch before eking out a precious penalty shoot-out win.
VAR saved Ten Hag’s skin deep into extra-time, disallowing the Sky Blues’ last-gasp strike for one of the tightest offside calls in FA Cup history and handing him potentially one last lifeline at Old Trafford.
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Known for their usual stampeding form at the tail-end of a season, especially under Guardiola, Man City are on the verge of lifting an unheard-of fourth consecutive Premier League title.
If they hold up their end of the bargain down the final stretch, as widely expected, the Cityzens could enter this final as the English champions, bidding to lift their eighth FA Cup crown.
Not since Arsenal’s triumphs in 2014 and 2015 have a team defended the FA Cup title, and City’s record in this fixture perhaps best illustrates the difficulty of handling the pressure in these high-octane moments.
Of their 12 previous appearances in the title-deciding showdown, they emerged victorious seven times, though they’ve won both finals under Guardiola.
Last season’s defeat was Man Utd’s ninth in 21 attempts to lift the trophy (W12), extending their wait for FA Cup glory to eight years.
Jose Mourinho was the last manager to take the title to Old Trafford in 2016, and it was their 12th triumph in this tournament, a feat only bettered by Arsenal’s 14.
Indeed, the Gunners have taken advantage of United’s downfall to establish themselves as the most successful club in football’s oldest cup competition.
Five consecutive winless outings within 90 minutes (D4, L1) paint a bleak picture for Ten Hag and his troops as they bid to avenge multi-goal margin defeats against Man City in this season’s Premier League.
History backs Man City for success
The 2022/23 FA Cup final was the first of its kind as it was the first time Man City and Man Utd locked horns in this fixture.
Gundogan’s brace not only claimed bragging rights for the Sky Blues, but it also protected their 100% win ratio in domestic cup finals under Guardiola.
They have locked down the trophy in all six League Cup/FA Cup finals during the Spaniard’s trophy-laden reign and unsurprisingly head into this encounter as favourites.
Man Utd’s record against the Cityzens since Ten Hag’s appointment substantiates this premise, with the Red Devils losing four of their five matches clashes against the Etihad outfit under the Dutchman.
A 2-1 home league win in January 2023 remains the only exception, which almost counts to nothing, knowing they conceded at least twice in all four remaining meetings.
On that basis, it’ll take something truly special from United to take the trophy away from Man City’s clutches.
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