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Fresh off securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title, Manchester City will have their sights set on another trophy at Wembley Stadium this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Pep Guardiola’s team will face off against their arch-rivals, Manchester United, in a rematch of last year’s FA Cup final. In the previous encounter, City emerged triumphant with a 2-1 victory over United, thanks to a brace from Ilkay Gundogan. Can the champions successfully defend their title? Or will the Red Devils cause an upset?
Manchester City sealed the Premier League title with a 3-1 win against West Ham United on Sunday, finishing two points ahead of second-placed Arsenal. As a result, the Cityzens enter the FA Cup final on a seven-match winning streak across all competitions, having kept six clean sheets since their last defeat.
Looking at the bigger picture, Man City have remained unbeaten in their last 35 matches during regular time, winning 29 of those contests. In the FA Cup, Guardiola’s team has scored 15 goals in five matches this season, averaging three goals per game, while also recording four clean sheets.
On the other hand, Manchester United concluded their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring both goals in the final 20 minutes. However, Erik ten Hag’s side finished eighth in the final standings, a significant 31 points behind City, after suffering 14 defeats in their 38 matches in the 2023-24 season.
The Red Devils narrowly avoided a major upset in the FA Cup semi-finals last month, surrendering a 3-0 lead before eventually prevailing over Coventry City in a penalty shootout. Although Man Utd has scored 14 goals in five FA Cup matches this season, they have also conceded eight times, highlighting their defensive vulnerabilities.
In head-to-head encounters, City completed the league double over United this season, winning 3-0 at Old Trafford and securing a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in March. Across all competitions, the Red Devils have only managed to win one of their last seven meetings with the Cityzens, suffering six defeats in the process.
Team news: Man City will be without goalkeeper Ederson due to a fractured eye socket, meaning Stefan Ortega will continue to deputize in goal.
Meanwhile, Man Utd has several players on the injury list, including Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Tyrell Malacia. There are also doubts surrounding the availability of Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial, and Victor Lindelof. Given Manchester City’s recent dominance over Manchester United, Guardiola’s team appears destined to add more silverware to their collection.
Mason Mount was pictured training with the group at Carrington on Wednesday, as preparations continued for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.
The 25-year-old hasn’t featured since our defeat at Crystal Palace at the beginning of the month, when he made his first start for the Reds since early October.
Mount, who has played 19 times in his debut United campaign, scoring one goal, missed meetings with Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion due to what Erik ten Hag described as a “minor issue.”
His potential return to action could provide us with a timely boost, as our injury issues start to ease, with Raphael Varane having joined Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford in making comebacks this month.
Working out before Wembley
Gallery
Who can you spot as the Reds prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final in the Carrington rain?
Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial could also be seen in our photographs and Ten Hag may provide an update on all three Reds when he sits down for his final press conference of the season, on Thursday afternoon.
The boss is set to face the media at 16:30 BST, and you can keep up to date with the all the goings-on via our app and on ManUtd.com.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were selected, along with Kobbie Mainoo, in England’s provisional squad for the Euros on Tuesday, but the United defenders face a race against time to be fit for the final.
Last week, the boss explained that Maguire had a ‘fair chance’ of being ready to play against Pep Guardiola’s side, having missed our final four league fixtures.
Shaw, however, recently suffered a setback in his bid to recover from the muscle injury that ended his top-flight campaign in February, and his prospects are viewed as being a lot slimmer.
Tyrell Malacia hasn’t featured this season and Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have been sharing left-back duties in the absence of the Netherlands international and Shaw.
MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS
City have been celebrating their fourth consecutive Premier League title but attention will soon turn to trying to recapture the FA Cup, after last season’s 2-1 victory over United.
Goalkeeper Ederson has been ruled out of this final, as well as the upcoming Copa America tournament in the United States, after fracturing his eye socket at Tottenham last week.
Stefan Ortega is an able deputy, having been an ever-present in this season’s cup run, with veteran keeper Scott Carson expected to be on the bench.
Guardiola’s men have a clean bill of health otherwise and the main question for the Spaniard could be whether he sticks with Jeremy Doku, who replaced Mateo Kovacic in the starting line-up for the title-clinching victory over West Ham United.
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Wednesday 22 May 2024 16:01
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