History beckons between Manchester City and Manchester United. There are two “Doubles” on the line and even a “Treble” as the 189th Manchester derby plays out in the 142nd FA Cup final.
Saturday’s clash at Wembley will either see Premier League champions City take a giant step towards achieving 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 beating Newcastle in February.
There is also the issue of local rivalry, with City and United facing each other in a major final for the first time.
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Despite their resurgence under manager Erik ten Hag, United go into the game as outsiders to win the cup, despite beating City in their last encounter — a 2-1 Premier League win at Old Trafford in January — and having the upper hand in recent cup ties. City are not only favourites to beat United, but also to emulate their bitter rival’s 1999 success of doing the Treble — the only English team to pull it off to date.
So can United win, or will City edge even closer to the treble? Here are the key elements in what is the most eagerly-anticipated FA Cup final in living memory.
Guardiola’s intensity and attention to detail are renowned, but it is his ability to constantly improve and re-invent players that marks him out as the best around. Centre-back John Stones has been converted into a midfielder this season, teenage full-back Rico Lewis has been trusted to operate at right-back and defensive midfield, while Jack Grealish, Nathan Ake, Riyad Mahrez and Rodri have all taken their games to a new level.
No team works harder than Manchester City and that is a testament to Guardiola being able to motivate a group of players who have already won virtually everything in the game.
So, how can United beat City?
The good news for United is that they won 2-1 when the teams last met in the Premier League at Old Trafford in January. United have also won five of their last FA Cup meetings with City. But when the heat is on, City have beaten all of their biggest opponents since losing at Old Trafford. Liverpool (4-1), Arsenal (4-1), Bayern Munich (3-0) and Real Madrid (4-0) have all been blown away by Guardiola’s team recently, so United have a huge challenge ahead of them.
United simply have to play the same disciplined, organised game they produced when beating City in January. On that occasion, Ten Hag’s team cut off the supply line to Haaland by nullifying De Bruyne, but they also had luck on their side with a contentious VAR offside decision giving United a route back into the game after Grealish had scored the opener for City.
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If United are to win, they need to replicate that performance and hope that forwards Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho can penetrate the City backline and take advantage of the opportunities they get.
Lisandro Martinez’s absence due to a broken metatarsal will impact United’s defence, but they beat City without the Argentina international in January, so they must do so again.
