The oldest competition in football history reaches another landmark this weekend as Chelsea and Manchester City contest the 145th FA Cup final on Saturday.
Neither side will step onto the hallowed Wembley turf on the back of entirely satisfactory Premier League campaigns, with Chelsea languishing in midtable while City still trail league leaders Arsenal in the title race.
Pep Guardiola, however, will still be eyeing up a second domestic treble since he took charge of the Cityzens, having previously accomplished the feat in 2019. He has already won the first of the three, beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final in late March.
His team will also be encouraged by the fact that Chelsea have failed to win a domestic trophy since 2018 - a 1-0 triumph against Manchester United under Antonio Conte.
Since then, The Blues have played in a Community Shield final, two Carabao Cup finals and three FA Cup finals, losing all of them. City emerged victorious over the West Londoners in the Community Shield and Carabao Cup final in the 2018/19 campaign.
Under interim head coach Calum McFarlane and currently sat ninth in the Premier League table, Chelsea will be the underdogs going into the FA Cup final. However, they have already shown they can trouble Manchester City this season, earning a deserved point at the Etihad during McFarlane’s first spell in charge earlier this year. Chelsea have also built a reputation for upsetting the odds in major finals, something City will be wary of heading into Wembley.
Manchester City Team News
In terms of team news, the Sky Blues only have a few lingering fitness concerns ahead of the FA Cup final.
2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is expected to return to the starting lineup for Saturday, having returned to training during the week.
Both Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias are also expected to be available for selection after recovering from a heavy knock and a hamstring injury respectively.
And while Josko Gvardiol has successfully integrated back into first team training following a long-term leg fracture suffered in January, he is not expected to start due to a lack of match fitness.
As is the “cup keeper” policy preferred by Guardiola, James Trafford is expected to start in goal for the cup final. Trafford played and kept a clean sheet during City’s Carabao Cup final victory in March, justifying this probable selection.
Chelsea Team News
For Chelsea, they face an anxious wait over the fitness of wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto. Both wide players have missed the club’s last two matches with muscle problems and remain major doubts as it stands.
Devastating news on wingers continues for both Chelsea and Brazil ahead of the World Cup as Estevao suffered a severe hamstring against Man United last month. Jamie Gittens is also ruled out for the cup final due to a chronic hamstring problem that has caused him repeated delays and rehabilitation setbacks.
Jesse Derry is also out of contention after an unfortunate head collision on his Premier League debut during Chelsea’s defeat to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s medical staff have ruled him out for the season despite his recovery progressing well.
Spaniard Robert Sanchez is expected to be fully available for the matchday squad having overcome recent fitness concerns. It is likely he starts between the sticks considering he also did for the semi-final victory over Leeds United.
