Home of football statistics and historyA mouth-watering FA Cup final between cross-city rivals Manchester City and Manchester United takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, June 3.
It may sound surprising, but these teams meet in a major final for the first time, with much more than just bragging rights at stake.
With Erling Haaland on one side and Marcus Rashford on another, Saturday’s final could defy the recent tradition of cagey, low-scoring affairs.
The last two FA Cup finals have featured under 1.5 goals, but a rich attacking potential that will grace the Wembley pitch this weekend has all the means to change the narrative.
What do you need to know?
Manchester City
After beating Arsenal to the Premier League title and setting up the Champions League and FA Cup finals, Man City are two wins away from becoming only the second English side to claim a coveted treble.
Pep Guardiola’s men have qualified for the title-deciding contest without conceding a goal and could become the first side in over a century to lift the crown unscratched.
However, the Cityzens’ track record in the FA Cup showpiece fixture casts doubt on their lofty ambitions, as they’ve only won six of their 11 previous forays into the final.
On top of that, they’ve alternated between winning and losing in their last four appearances in the grand final, most recently recording a joint-record 6-0 win over Watford in 2018/19.
Guardiola’s team conquered the Premier League that season and could now become just the third club to claim the league and FA Cup double on multiple occasions after Arsenal and Man Utd.
Manchester United
Erik ten Hag led Man Utd to League Cup glory earlier this season, helping the Red Devils break a six-year title drought while securing a chance to make history this weekend.
If you’ve followed the news and updates about Manchester United, you must know they’ve never won both major domestic cup competitions in a single season.
With only Arsenal (14) winning more FA Cup titles than United (12), the Red Devils can close the gap by building on their impressive run of five wins in their last six encounters against Man City in the tournament (L1).
But it’s also worth noting that they’ve lost a joint-most eight FA Cup showpiece events alongside Chelsea and Everton, including three out of five they’ve contested in the 21st century.
Ten Hag will be the fourth Dutch manager to feature in the FA Cup final, and based on his predecessors’ eye-catching record of three wins and one loss, history backs him for success against the odds.
Form Guide
Manchester City
Man City have gone winless in back-to-back outings since being crowned Premier League champions for the third season running (D1, L1), going down 1-0 at Brentford on the final weekend.
Guardiola, who, according to Catalan media outlet TV3, blocked Joao Cancelo’s move to Barcelona in January, oversaw the Cityzens’ first scoring blank since a 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in February.
Before slipping to a late loss at the Gtech Community Stadium last weekend, the Cityzens had gone unbeaten in 25 straight matches in all competitions.
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LDWWWDWWWW
Manchester United
Unlike their rivals, Man Utd hit a purple patch down the final stretch of the 2022/23 Premier League season, stringing together four consecutive triumphs to secure a third top-four finish in four years.
More importantly, after a brace of 1-0 defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion, the Red Devils have rediscovered their scoring touch, averaging 2.25 goals per game during that four-game run.
United’s resurgence in recent weeks should inspire their bid to tip evenly-balanced head-to-head stakes at Wembley in their favour after both sides posted one win apiece in their two historic meetings at this venue.
Claiming a flattering domestic double could give Man Utd more confidence in ongoing talks to land outgoing Chelsea star Mason Mount, as per The Telegraph.
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWWLLWDWL
Possible Starting Line-ups
Manchester City (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; John Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia; Casemiro, Christian Eriksen; Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Marcus Rashford.
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