The 2024/25 FA Cup will be on the line when Crystal Palace and Manchester City face off in the final at Wembley on Saturday.
The curtains will fall on the 2024/25 FA Cup this weekend, although the final uncharacteristically comes before the Premier League campaign ends. Crystal Palace vs Manchester City is the season-ending game of the fabled competition, with the two sides locking horns at Wembley on Saturday.
Crystal Palace reached the FA Cup final by cruising to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the semi-finals. Oliver Glasner’s men have been exceptional in the competition, conceding only one goal in five outings thus far, having kept a clean sheet against Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Fulham, and Aston Villa while beating Millwall 3-1 in the fifth round.
The Eagles have also been impressive apart from the FA Cup, with last month’s successive defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester City being rare slip-ups from the South London outfit. While a top-half finish in the Premier League is unlikely, it won’t matter to Crystal Palace if they win the FA Cup final this weekend and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s horrendous form is yesterday’s news as the former Premier League champions have been on a roll in the last few weeks. Apart from a surprise goalless draw with Southampton, the Citizens have barely put a foot wrong, embarking on a ten-game unbeaten run.
Manchester City’s most recent defeat came in March, and they have ended the concerns about failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s men have not been as comfortable as Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, clinching close wins over Leyton Orient, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest in the previous stages. The only resounding victory came against Salford City in the third round.
Crystal Palace and Manchester City have clashed twice this season, both times in the Premier League; the game at Selhurst Park ended in a 2-2 draw, while the match at the Etihad saw Manchester City cruise to a 5-2 win. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players on Saturday.
Adam Wharton has recovered from an ankle injury to be fit and available to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final. So, Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure are the only absentees, with the duo recovering from long-term knee injuries.
Dean Henderson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Saturday. The central defenisve unit will feature Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, and Marc Guehi. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs in the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, Will Hughes should pair up with the fit-again Adam Wharton in the middle of the park. Finally, Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace against Manchester City, with Ismaila Sarr and Eberechi Eze providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Eze, Sarr; Mateta
Manchester City
Like his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Pep Guardiola has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester City manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Rodri remains the most notable absentee as he continues to recover from a long-term knee injury. The Spanish international accompanies Nathan Ake (foot), John Stones (knee), and Oscar Bobb (thigh) on the sidelines.
Ederson Moraes will take his spot between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly.
As for the midfield unit, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva should pair up in the double pivot, with Ilkay Gundogan and Nico Gonzalez being backup options on the bench. Kevin De Bruyne will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jeremy Doku and Omar Marmoush being the two wide attackers. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovacic, Bernardo Silva; Doku, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland
Key Stats
Manchester City have won their last three FA Cup outings vs Crystal Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4. The most recent meeting was in the fourth round in the 2016/17 season, with the Citizens winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in their seven meetings with Crystal Palace in all competitions (W4 D3) since a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in October 2021.
Both teams have scored 2+ goals in the four most recent meetings between Crystal Palace and Manchester City (two 2-2 draws and 4-2 and 5-2 victories for the Citizens). The last time two top-flight clubs netted 2+ times in five consecutive meetings was between 1975 and 1977 (Derby County vs Newcastle United).
None of Manchester City’s last 44 games in the FA Cup have ended in a draw (W38 D6). Five of the Citizens’ six defeats in that run have come at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola has won the FA Cup twice (2019, 2023) and the League Cup four times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). He could become the second manager to win both major English domestic competitions 3+ times after Alex Ferguson (5x FA Cup, 4x League Cup).
Nico O’Reilly has had a hand in five goals in the 2024/25 FA Cup (G3 A2). Only Josh Magennis (6) has been involved in more strikes in the competition proper this term. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has failed to score in his five appearances for Manchester City at Wembley, with three bkanks coming in the FA Cup. It is the most games he has played for the Citizens at a venue without finding the back of the net (followed by Anfield, 3).
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
Embed from Getty Images
While Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jean-Philippe Mateta were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Eberechi Eze as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley.
The English international has been involved in four goals in his last four FA Cup outings (G3 A1), putting Crystal Palace 1-0 up in the semi-final against Aston Villa. He had not registered a goal or an assist in his first 14 appearances in the competition. He will aim to continue his excellent run in the FA Cup this weekend. Interestingly, Eze is a top target for Manchester City, and his display might have a bearing on the Citizens’ interest.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 2-3 Manchester City
Crystal Palace and Manchester City tend to produce goals in their meetings lately, and Saturday’s FA Cup final should be no different. A cup final invariably creates a situation where every strike matters. So, we should witness end-to-end action between these teams as they aim to end the 2024/25 season on a high.
However, the Eagles have struggled for wins against Manchester City in the last few years, failing to produce a victory since 2021. Meanwhile, Oliver Glasner has urged his charges not to delve into the occasion much and not repeat a Brazil error from over a decade ago.
That should not be the case, and Crystal Palace should take the game to Manchester City. However, they may not have enough quality to topple the Citizens and win the FA Cup. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.