Manchester City-Manchester United is the final of the 2023-24 edition of the FA Cup and is played on Saturday at 4 p.m.: statistics, likely lineups, predictions, TV and streaming.
The FA Cup has “turned” into the Manchester derby, and for the second year in a row, vying for England’s premier cup will be City and United, set to do battle in the final at Wembley. The Red Devils are going for a rematch: a year ago despite staying in the game until the very end they were forced to surrender to their cousins (2-1), who are of course heavily favored on this occasion as well.
An eventual success this time would have a different, far more important meaning: Manchester United failed to qualify for the European cups via the league and only by winning the FA Cup would detach a Europa League pass, simultaneously “revolutionizing” the Premier League standings, which ended a week ago. Should Erik ten Hag’s team come out on top, in fact, it would be Newcastle, which finished seventh, who would be left out of Europe, while Chelsea, sixth, would have to settle for the Conference League. For United, it is finally the only way to “save” a failing season on all fronts: the Dutch coach already has his bags in hand and yet another “revolution” is on the horizon.
Guardiola and that scent of Double
Diametrically opposite mood instead at City: Pep Guardiola and his men have just won their fourth Premier League in a row (sixth in the last seven years) confirming that they have something more than the others.
The fairly clear-cut (3-1) victory over West Ham last Sunday allowed the Cityzens to win the long-distance duel with Arsenal, which was again left high and dry like a year ago. The Catalan coach did not manage to make an encore in the Champions League – the elimination on penalties with Real Madrid still stings – but he can still achieve a nice Double (cup-championship coupling) that is by no means to be thrown away. At Wembley Guardiola will have the entire squad at his disposal: he will field the standard lineup, although in goal it will be up to Ortega, Ederson’s second and “cup” goalkeeper. In United, Varane and Lisandro Martinez are drafted in: ten Hag should deploy both of them, also giving confidence to Diallo, among the best on the field in recent games.
The Prediction
This City is almost impossible to stop. Pep Guardiola’s men since last December have never lost – excluding, of course, the penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid – and have won seven of the last eight derbies against their hated city rivals. Manchester United ended the league on a high and will try to throw their hearts over the hurdle but it may not be enough: Manchester City favored in a match that should yield at least three goals overall.
Manchester City-Manchester United
likely lineups.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Ruben Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Dalot; Mainoo, Casemiro; Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
