Between Manchester City and Manchester United, history awaits. As the 189th Manchester derby takes place in the 142nd FA Cup final, two ‘doubles’ and even a ‘treble’ are on the line.
Saturday’s match at Wembley Stadium will either see Premier League champions City complete a treble of league, FA Cup, and Champions League by adding the cup to their championship crown, or United win their 13th FA Cup to complete a domestic cup double, having won the Carabao Cup by defeating Newcastle in February.
There’s also the question of local rivalry, with City and United meeting in a major final for the first time.
Despite their recent comeback under manager Erik ten Hag, United enter the game as outsiders to win the cup, despite defeating City in their most recent meeting (a 2-1 Premier League triumph at Old Trafford in January) and having the upper hand in previous cup games. City are not only favourites to defeat United, but also to repeat their bitter rival’s 1999 triple win – the only English club to accomplish it to date.
So, can United win, or will City close up on the treble? Here are the main players in the most anticipated FA Cup final in living memory.
Is this really the largest FA Cup final in history?
If you remove club allegiances and look objectively — don’t expect Liverpool, Arsenal, or Chelsea supporters to give this FA Cup final top billing — it’s difficult to think of any prior one that has carried such weight and drawn such worldwide attention.
Liverpool and Everton dominated English football for a long time in the 1980s, and the FA Cup final saw two Merseyside derbies, in 1986 and 1989, both of which Liverpool won. Liverpool won their first league and FA Cup double in 1986, with Everton coming second in both tournaments, although there was no treble on the line or the prospect of the other club accomplishing a double.
There have been heavyweight clashes in recent years between United and Arsenal, as well as Liverpool and Chelsea, but this cup final has it all.
United aim to finish the season with two trophies and win both domestic cups for the first time in the same season, but they also want to prevent City from completing the treble. That’s not only because local pride is at risk; it’s also because the treble is United’s one-of-a-kind accomplishment among English clubs, and they don’t want to share the honour with anybody, least of all City.
On the other hand, City is anxious to defeat United on their way to their own treble. The treble would be pleasing enough on its own, but beating United at the last hurdle would just sweeten the deal for manager Pep Guardiola and his players.
Man United has already stopped a club from completing the treble, correct?
Yes. United defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup final in 1977, preventing their traditional opponents from completing the treble 22 years before Ferguson’s squad.
Liverpool had recently won the league, and they would go on to win the club’s first European Cup four days later in Rome, defeating Borussia Monchengladbach. However, a 2-1 victory for Manchester United at Wembley denied Liverpool the honour of being the first English club to complete the triple.
United defeated league winners Everton in the FA Cup final in 1985, denying their opponents a triple of league, FA Cup, and European Cup-Winners’ Cup.
Where would United’s victory against City rank among upsets?
This is a question entrenched in the present, since City have been the top dog in Manchester for a decade. United haven’t finished ahead of their city rivals in the Premier League since 2013, and the trophy count since then — coincidentally, the year Sir Alex Ferguson resigned — is City 13, United 4.
City’s recent supremacy has flipped the rivalry with United on its head – though United still has the all-time head-to-head record with 77 victories to City’s 58 – and they are the favourites to win this final. Their form is superior: City have only lost once in their previous 26 games, and that was at Brentford in the last game of the league season, with their key players rested and the championship already secured.
United is by far the largest and more successful team in history, so to say it would be a surprise if they won on Saturday seems to be a slur on their heritage and history. However, City are unquestionably the favourites, and a United victory would be a massive upset.
Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup final victory against a great Leeds United squad is considered as the greatest shock of all time, despite the fact that Sunderland were a second-tier club at the time. However, famous shocks include West Ham (also in the second division) overcoming Arsenal in 1980, incumbent champions Liverpool losing to Wimbledon in 1988, and demoted Wigan Manchester City in 2013.
United defeating City would not surpass any of them, but it would be noteworthy.
Why is City such a heavy favourite to win?
There are several strands to the City tale, many of which may be traced back to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.
Since Sheikh Mansour purchased City in 2008, the club has gone from being a perpetually failing team to perhaps the greatest in the world. City have the greatest players (Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne) and the best manager (Pep Guardiola), but although Sheikh Mansour’s financial clout is important, City’s time of dominance is entirely down to Guardiola.
In 2016, City recruited the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach with the goal of making the squad the best in England and Europe.
Guardiola is well-known for his energy and attention to detail, but it is his ability to consistently develop and reinvent players that distinguishes him as the finest in the world.
No team works harder than Manchester City, which demonstrates Guardiola’s ability to encourage a bunch of players who have previously won almost everything in the game.
So, how will United defeat City?
The good news for United is that they triumphed 2-1 in their previous Premier League meeting at Old Trafford in January. United has also won the past five FA Cup matches with City. However, when the pressure is on, City has defeated all of its major opponents since losing at Old Trafford. Guardiola’s squad recently thrashed Liverpool (4-1), Arsenal (4-1), Bayern Munich (3-0), and Real Madrid (4-0), so United face a tough battle.
United must just play the same disciplined, planned style that saw them defeat City in January. Ten Hag’s squad cut off the supply line to Haaland by nullifying De Bruyne on that occasion, but they also had luck on their side, with a disputed VAR offside ruling providing United a path back into the game after Grealish had scored the opening for City.
If United are to win, they must recreate that performance and hope that forwards Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho can breach the City defence and capitalise on the openings that present themselves.
The loss of Lisandro Martinez due to a fractured metatarsal will have an effect on United’s defence, but they overcame City without the Argentina international in January and must do so again.
Isn’t it all about stopping Haaland?
Not exactly. The City attacker has 52 goals in 51 appearances this season in all competitions and is arguably the greatest danger to United. The former Borussia Dortmund attacker scored a hat trick against United in October, so he’s used to scoring in derby games. However, City are much more than his aspirations.
City won 3-0 against Sheffield United in the semifinals thanks to a hat trick from Mahrez, and four other players have scored 10 or more goals in all competitions this season: Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Mahrez, and De Bruyne, while Ilkay Gundogan has scored nine from midfield.
This club can score from wherever on the field, which is a major issue for United. Stopping Haaland is merely one aspect of the task. There are several additional risks to contend with.
What more do we require?
This is City’s 12th FA Cup final, and they have a mixed record with six wins and five losses in their previous 11. They have won two and lost one cup final since 2011, with their most recent victory coming in 2019 with a 6-0 victory against Watford.
United will compete in their 21st FA Cup final, a record shared with Arsenal, although no team has lost more times than United, an unfortunate distinction shared with Chelsea and Everton.
If City defeats United without surrendering a goal on Saturday, they would become the first club since Bury in 1903 to complete the tournament without conceding a goal. Preston North End are the only other side to have done so in 1889.
In order to reach the final, City defeated Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley, and Sheffield United, while United faced Everton, Reading, West Ham, Fulham, and Brighton.
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