The 143rd FA Cup final is just a matter of hours from kick off at 3pm on Saturday 25th May 2024 at Wembley Stadium, and we are in for a repeated meeting of the 2 Manchester sides who have had differing fortunes through the years. City head to Wembley looking for a double success to follow on from last year’s treble, while for United they are looking to avenge the 2-1 defeat last season to provide some glimmer of positivity from a chaotic season on and off the field.

Last season offered a seemingly unique occurrence of the Manchester sides battling it out in the FA Cup final with the first ever meeting at this stage of the competition taking place last year, and now the repeated fixture which is the only consecutive FA Cup final meeting since 1885. With Manchester City coming out on top 2-1 last year thanks to an early goal from Gundogan, a slight comeback from United as they converted a controversial penalty before Gundogan added his second and the winner for Guardiola’s side to secure what was their 2nd of 3 eventual trophies in a terrific season.

This year, the Blues have been really continuing as normal for them at the very top level of the game, they claimed their 4th Premier League title in a row last weekend, and now will be determined to keep the momentum going as they claim silverware and further bragging rights against their cross-city rivals. For United however, their respectable campaign last year of Carabao Cup, top 4 and FA Cup finalists has collapsed as this could well be the final game for Ten Hag and several of their first team players as this seasons chaotic nature has offered great value for neutrals, but a fairly disappointing one for fans. While last year they went in to the final with a determination to spoil their rivals party and treble hopes with grit and determination, this year it’s hard to find any fan who has a genuine belief of success going into the game.

With so many questions for us to discuss and make bold (and ridiculous predictions) over in this preview, we will do our best to give you our personal view of how the final could play out. If you have anything to add, question or ridicule us for, head over to Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) and tell us how you think this game plays out.

Form

Since joining the competition in round 3, City have made light work of their opposition as most would expect. Their journey to the final has seen dominant victories over Huddersfield (5-0 round 3) and Luton Town (6-2 round 5), while the higher ranked opposition of Tottenham (1-0 round 4), Newcastle (2-0 quarter-final) and Chelsea (1-0 semi-final) means they’ve not always had the easiest draw possible but have yet to struggle too much in their quest to retain the trophy. With only 2 conceded and 15 scored they have shown quality in both attack and defence to take them back to Wembley again for the meeting with their rivals.

In the semi-final, it was left late for Bernardo Silva to put his side ahead, and on another day Chelsea may have done enough to get a result, but once again City’s quality and dominance of the ball paid off and they return to the stadium that is becoming their second home in recent years.

In other competitions they’ve not faltered at all in recent weeks as they maintained a strong level of dominance to claim their 4th Premier League title in a row. With Arsenal hot on their heels, they have been unbeaten since the 6th December when they were surprisingly dismantled by Aston Villa. This run has seen them claim the title at a canter on the final day, however there was a tough meeting with Real Madrid, where 2 draws and a shootout defeat saw them exit the Champions League. With City the heavy favourite in this one to see their season off in style, they have nothing left to worry about meaning they can go all out to maintain their strong form and get past the final hurdle in their quest for the double.

Manchester United have arguably had the easier of the routes to the final, with Wigan, Newport County, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Coventry City being the opponents, they’ve only faced 2/5 top-flight opponents in comparison to City’s 4/5. Having said that, it’s not always been easy as the FA Cup run has coincided with some of United’s most chaotic games of the season, including their latest time out against Coventry.

The first game against Wigan had not caused any problems as they progressed 2-0 winners in round 3, in a similar way to the round 4 tie with Newport County who despite showing a glimmer of a comeback, were beaten 4-2 by the dominant visiting side. In round 5, United were reliant on an 89th minute winner from Casemiro to get past Nottingham Forest, and this set up the most exciting tie of the competition (in my opinion anyway) as they came up against arch-rivals Liverpool. With goals flying back and forth at Old Trafford, it was an eventual 120th minute winner at the end of extra time that saw United end Liverpool’s quadruple hopes as Amad slotted away the winner to send United to Wembley for the semi-final in the most chaotic of circumstances. With fans expecting an easy tie against Coventry in the semi, it would have seemed that way until the 71st minute, when despite being 3-0 down Coventry pulled off a remarkable comeback to make it 3-3 where they then went on to score a late goal to win the tie until VAR proved to be United’s saviour. With penalties being required to make the final, Coventry had a final slip as they were beaten 4-2 on penalties to see United set up the rivalry tie with City this Saturday.

In their recent league form, United have almost been getting back on track. Since losing heavily to Crystal Palace and their poor run in April, United have put in a respectable performance despite losing to Arsenal, and then beat top half opposition in Newcastle and Brighton to give fans some glimmer of optimism with goals coming more freely and some more energetic performances showing promising shoots within this side, even with the off-field speculation and rumour.

Team News

For City, Guardiola has pretty much every outfield player at his disposal for the final, with only Ederson missing between the sticks as his season was ended vs Tottenham with a fractured eye socket. Stefan Ortega has filled in without a problem this season in several key games, and Saturday’s final shouldn’t be any different.

Outfield, the likes of Stones and Ake might be pushing for a start, however it seems likely Pep will go with Walker, Dias, Akanji and Gvardiol as they selected 4 in defence. With City sure to be confident of controlling the game in United’s half, the front 5 of Haaland, Silva, Foden, De Bruyne and Doku will be secured by Rodri at the joining force between attack and defence.

For United, their injury woes have eased slightly, but still questions marks hang over several key players. Maguire, Shaw and Malacia are guaranteed to miss out, while other defensive reinforcements of Varane and Lindelof could return to the XI to partner the also recently returning Martinez. Ten Hag has stuck with Casemiro in the latest games despite the returning choices, however he may choose more defensive security with one of Varane/Lindelof to provide extra protection against the City onslaught.

In the top half of the pitch, Ten Hag has a choice on whether to stick Hojlund an Rashford back in after recent spells out of the XI, or pack the midfield with McTominay and Bruno Fernandes being the no.10 and false 9 roles, while Garnacho and likely Amad would play wider, with Mainoo and either Amrabat/Casemiro joining the youngster dependent on who plays CB.

Manchester City Predicted Line-Up: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodri, Silva, Foden, De Bruyne, Doku, Haaland

Manchester United Predicted Line-Up: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot, Mainoo, Casemiro, Amad, Garnacho, McTominay, Fernandes

Predictions

If you’ve read this blog already before or seen any of the content put out on social media, you will probably have figured that I am a Manchester United fan, and while you may think that would make me biased towards this game, like the majority of United fans going into Saturday, there’s very limited hope at best for a result in this final.

The sheer dominance of City across the last few years is plain to see across all competitions, and in these finals they have often made light work of the opposition, resulting in plenty of success in their recent history. Having won the league just last weekend, there may have been hope from any other side that pushing until the final day for the league title and then subsequent celebrations may have caused them to take their eye off of the final, but City just don’t do that. With a fully fit and firing squad at Guardiola’s disposal, they will feel determined to ensure they don’t slip up and with the quality they possess, they just don’t ever have the major slip-ups. With a derby game in the final the players and fans will be determined on either side to cheer their team on, but for City there will be pressure for early goals and dominance of the game, which their players usually respond to with goals and making the game comfortable.

For United, it’s all or nothing for players and potentially the manager. Fans have been feeling the pressure on Ten Hag all season with the drop off, and with an injury plagued campaign, unpredictability throughout and conceding a ridiculous number of chances and shots, it could become a very tough watch. Ten Hag led his team to the final in chaotic circumstances in several games leading to Wembley, and in recent weeks there has been some element of composure as they performed respectably in the Arsenal defeat, and recent wins vs Newcastle and Brighton. It’s a sign of just not knowing how to predict United that leaves me worried, as I can guarantee City will be on top form.

My prediction is that this will likely be similar to last years meeting where City strike early, United struggle to chase the game back and aside from a fortunate consolation, it will be a digging in and defending style performance from Ten Hag’s side. With injuries still causing a problem for the defensive unit, the chosen centre backs will have a tough afternoon and the service up to the forward line will likely be limited. I think the early goal might come a bit later than last time round, but United could probably end up with a penalty decision to give them hope as last time, but I also see Foden getting in on the goals to make it more comfortable than the 2-1 victory last time, possibly going one further to make it 3-1.

As a small extra prediction, I also have a feeling that someone in City’s camp may see red. I had thought a red card might come in this game, but I have a gut feeling a feisty encounter towards the end may result in a City red card, possibly leading to United getting a penalty late in the game. Guardiola’s City don’t usually have to engage in derby atmospheres and scrappy moments with their side usually being filled with too much quality, but there’s just something about this one that makes me think a red card and penalty might add to the one-sided contest.

It pains me to say but there’s just no picture in my mind of United climbing the steps of Wembley to claim the trophy. I wish so much to be wrong, but this feels like the wrong opposition at the wrong time for United and they are still way behind in terms of quality, leading to a nervous watch for the fans of United like myself.

Score Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United

How do you think this final will play out on Saturday afternoon? Head over to Twitter/X (@NextGoalWinBlog) and let us know what you make of our predictions and get involved in our poll running on who you think will end the day as FA Cup winners 2023/2024.