FA Cup final: who will win, Manchester United or Manchester City?
The 2023 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United is at Wembley on Saturday (15:00 BST) – the first all-Manchester final in the FA Cup’s history.
Despite more national train strikes, nearly 90,000 fans are expected at Wembley, stranding tens of thousands of fans having to make alternative plans to go to London.
Drop your predictions for all Manchester FA Cup final:
Pep Guardiola’s City, who have already been crowned the Premier League and face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on 10 June, require a win to stay on course for a memorable Treble. But United, who have already beaten City this season, are looking to follow up their Carabao Cup win in February by achieving a domestic cup double.
“We want to win a title; it is not regarding stopping them,” said United’s Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag. “We have a great chance. Wembley is likely the best arena in the world, and to be there in the Cup final is compelling.”
Guardiola said he would play second-choice goalie Stefan Ortega, who has started all five FA Cup matches this season, over first-choice Ederson. It is the first time in 12 years that the FA Cup final has started at 15:00 BST – the last final being Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Stoke City in 2011.
Last year’s final between Liverpool and Chelsea began at 16:45. London’s Metropolitan Police organised the derby game as high risk and opposed to a later kick-off time on security bases.
It is even the first time the FA Cup final, traditionally played in May, has occurred in June due to fixture congestion induced by the World Cup in Qatar last November and December. The showpiece is being played 70 days earlier. The 2023-24 Premier League season begins on Saturday, 12 August.
