Latest Manchester City news ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace
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Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Manchester City head to Wembley this weekend bidding to reclaim the FA Cup.
The Blues are in their third straight final but having won the 2023 edition as part of the historic Treble, they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United last season.
City have endured a difficult campaign and are yet to secure their spot in next season's Champions League heading into the final two fixtures of the Premier League season. The FA Cup would provide a welcome trophy for Pep Guardiola and his squad. Here's the latest City headlines.
Cup final sell-out
Nearly 34,000 Manchester City fans will be at Wembley for Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
City have confirmed their total allocation has sold out with two days remaining before the final, having initially been given just over 30,000 tickets. An additional allocation has also sold out in spite of price rises of up to 95 per cent from last month's semi-final.
Thousands of City fans opted to stay away from that semi-final win over Nottingham Forest, keeping their money in their pockets given the cost of following the Blues to Wembley multiple times per season. The final will be their 31st visit to the new Wembley Stadium since it re-opened and third this season.
To make it even more difficult for fans to commit to watching the final, the FA increased prices by up to 20 per cent from last year's final, which marked a considerable rise from the semi-final. In the lower tier at Wembley, tickets cost £90 against Nottingham Forest, rising to £175 against Crystal Palace for the final.
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Haaland honesty
Erling Haaland admits this season has been 'boring' after two glorious years to start his Manchester City career.
Haaland ripped up the record book in his first season en route to a sensational treble, before continuing that form with a second Golden Boot to help City to an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row.
But circumstances have worked against City this season and the fifth title was never really on the cards. City go into the final two games of the season still needing to secure a Champions League spot, even with the added insurance of an extra qualification place for the Premier League.
An FA Cup final on Saturday is a chance to take some silverware from the season, with Haaland insisting that the cup won't change how City feel about their disappointing campaign. It follows recent comments from the striker accepting his own form has not been good enough while admitting that the 'hunger' in the squad had dropped from previous years.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "This season has been tough. It is not nice to lose so many games, it is boring and not fun. That's why we need to finish well and get a trophy.
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