Manchester City face Crystal Palace in the 153rd FA Cup final.
City are fourth in the Premier League and in a good position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League with two games to go, but the FA Cup provides their only chance to win a trophy this season.
Palace, meanwhile, will be looking to win their first ever major trophy in what will be their third FA Cup final, losing to City’s rivals Manchester United in the previous two.
Here are five things to look out for in the FA Cup final:
O’Reilly in the starting XI
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In City’s drab 0-0 draw against Southampton last week, they lacked spark. The players looked tired, old and lacking in any kind of imagination or creativity.
Nico O’Reilly fixes all of these problems. He was poor in his last start against Wolves, but has been more or less flawless in every other game since he broke into the first team during City’s FA Cup quarter final win against Bournemouth.
The 20-year-old did struggle in the first half hour against Palace in the 5-2 Premier League back in April, but he grew into the match and ended up scoring the final goal of the game.
City lacked his energy down the left hand side and I think it’s integral that O’Reilly starts at left back for the Blues to be able to overcome Oliver Glasner’s side.
KDB’s swansong
Manchester City FC v Wolverhampton Wanderers FC - Premier League Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
It’s the final chance for Kevin de Bruyne to win a trophy at Manchester City, and his first and only as captain.
The Belgian international has three games left; the cup final, Bournemouth in his final match at the Etihad Stadium then Fulham at Craven Cottage on the final day of the season.
There’s still a job to be done for City (top five is far from certain) but it does feel like the real final outing for De Bruyne will be this Saturday.
The only thing he’s missing from his City cabinet is a trophy won as the captain, but the 33-year-old has the chance to put the final seal on his glittering career in England in his last few games at the club.
Glasner’s words possibly coming back to bite him
Manchester City FC v Crystal Palace FC - Premier League Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images
After City beat Palace 5-2, Glanser spoke boldly about his side’s chances in the FA Cup final.
He said that City couldn’t play the 4-2-2-2 system that had brought them success in the last few weeks and against Palace in the final, as his side would’ve found a way to stop it by then.
But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if, in defiance, Pep Guardiola finds a way to win once again with this system.
It doesn’t suit the fit again Erling Haaland, but he may start on the bench anyway having looked a bit sluggish and lacking in match sharpness against Southampton.
De Bruyne, Omar Marmoush, Ilkay Gundogan, James McAtee and others all fit that system, and performed very well against the Eagles too, so whilst I think City will most likely switch things up to accommodate Haaland - it’d hardly be a huge shock if they didn’t.
A raucous atmosphere from both sides
Nottingham Forest v Manchester City - Emirates FA Cup Semi Final Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
For Palace, this is their biggest game since 2016 - their third chance ever to win the FA Cup.
But for City, this is their third chance in three years to win the FA Cup. People complain about media agendas, but ultimately I have absolutely no issue with any neutral wanting Palace to win the cup final.
They’re going to bring fantastic support and make it a difficult atmosphere for City. But, at the same time, the Blues have some of the best supporters in the country, with their away atmosphere praised up regularly.
These two factors combined should make for a cauldron of noise, which only adds to the spectacle of the biggest game in the English calendar.
A huge indicator for the rest of City’s season
AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
As mentioned before, City have three massive games coming up.
Winning the FA Cup and securing the top five is a good season, no doubt. It won’t have been as successful as we could have expected at the start of the season, but any other team in the league would take qualifying for the Champions League and a trophy in a heartbeat.
You’d expect some of City’s transfer targets - namely Florian Wirtz - won’t be interested in signing for City unless they’re playing amongst Europe’s elite next season, so getting at least four points against Bournemouth and Fulham is essential.
But winning a trophy brings the joy and symbolism that finishing third, fourth or fifth doesn’t, even though it’s perhaps less essential for City’s summer plans.
We’ll know by Wednesday what state City are in. Beat Palace and Bournemouth, and everything’s rosy. Lose both of those games, and it’s an uphill battle, and indicates another difficult season next year.