Chelsea last won a domestic trophy back in 2018.
The occasion barely needs any dressing up. Chelsea have not won a domestic trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2018, have lost their last four finals at Wembley without scoring, and arrive here having registered eight league defeats in their last ten games. Manchester City, on the other hand, have already secured the EFL Cup and are chasing a domestic double (even a treble, in fact), entering as heavy favourites on the back of eight wins from their last nine matches. On paper, this is a mismatch. Cup finals, of course, have a long history of ignoring paper.
City’s route to Wembley included a 4-0 demolition of Liverpool in the quarter-finals, where Erling Haaland hit a hat-trick, before a nervy 2-1 comeback win over Southampton in the last four. That victory made them the first English side to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals, though Pep Guardiola’s side have lost the last two, against Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace in 2025. Chelsea’s path was equally dramatic in its own way: a 1-0 semi-final win over Leeds at Wembley, settled by an Enzo Fernandez header, for a club that had gone five consecutive league games without scoring at the time, the FA Cup has been their only shelter in a wretched season.
The one statistic that looms largest over this final is City’s unbeaten run of 13 games against Chelsea across all competitions since Chelsea’s Champions League final win in 2021. That run includes a 3-0 league win at Stamford Bridge as recently as April 12. Haaland is goalless in eight Wembley appearances for City, 601 minutes and 11 shots without reward, but nobody believes that record survives forever.
Chelsea and Manchester City Injury Updates
Calum McFarlane delivered positive news on Thursday. Reece James and Levi Colwill both returned from long-term injuries against Liverpool last weekend, with Colwill particularly impressive in his first start since the Club World Cup final, and both are in contention to start. Robert Sanchez, who suffered a head injury against Nottingham Forest on May 4, has been back in training this week and McFarlane said the news was “really positive.” Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho also trained well through the week after missing the Forest and Liverpool games and are expected to be available. Jesse Derry, Jamie Gittens and Estevao are all ruled out for the remainder of the season.
City left Rodri out of Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace as a precaution, though he is expected to be fit for Saturday. Savinho and Omar Marmoush both scored against Palace and arrive in form.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City Predicted Lineups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Cucurella; Pedro
Manchester City (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Prediction
Chelsea’s only clean sheets in their last 20 games have come in the FA Cup, which tells you everything about how this competition has been their only lifeline this season. If Neto and Garnacho are sharp, if Fernandez produces another Wembley moment, and if City’s finals hoodoo bites them again, an upset is possible. But City are relentless, Guardiola has the answers on the bench, and Haaland will eventually score in a final. A tight game that tips City’s way.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City