The FA Cup will take centre stage on Saturday afternoon as Wembley Stadium welcomes Manchester City and Chelsea in the final.
The Blues are Citizens are searching for their first FA Cup trophy since defeating Manchester United in the final in 2017/18, while the Citizens are looking to avenge back-to-back defeats in the FA Cup Final.
Chelsea vs Manchester City
Saturday 16 May, 15:00pm
Wembley Stadium
Chelsea have the chance to salvage their 2025/26 season with a victory in the FA Cup Final, as the Blues have seen their campaign crumble in recent months.
The Blues embarked on a run of seven defeats in eight matches throughout March and April under Liam Rosenior, including their elimination from the Champions League and falling out of the European battle in the English Premier League.
Interim Calum McFarlane managed to end that streak with a 1-0 triumph against Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final, but they have failed to build on that result in the league, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest before drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at the weekend – meaning they are now winless in their last seven EPL fixtures.
While confidence will be low as a result, the Blues will be desperate to end the campaign on a positive note by lifting the FA Cup trophy, but they do have a lacklustre record against Man City.
The Citizens, who have won eight and drawn one of their last nine matches across all competitions, have recorded 10 victories and three draws since last losing to Chelsea – a 1-0 loss in the 2020/21 Champions League final.
Although Man City’s focus will be split across the FA Cup and English Premier League, where they remain battling for a chance to overtake Arsenal and lift the title, the Citizens remain the overwhelming favourites to claim the trophy at the home of English football.
Pep Guardiola’s side will also have extra motivation to win the FA Cup Final after suffering back-to-back defeats at this stage in the last two years, losing to Manchester United and Crystal Palace, leaving them eager to go one better and win the trophy.
Team News
Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho and Robert Sanchez are all unlikely to feature for Chelsea due to ongoing injury issues, while Mykhaylo Mudryk remains suspended.
Despite their winless league run being extended with the 1-1 draw to Liverpool at the weekend, the Blues showed plenty of promise throughout periods of that clash, meaning McFarlane may opt to name a largely unchanged side.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are only anticipated to be without midfield general Rodri, while the remainder of the squad should be available for selection.
After making changes to the side that won 3-0 against Crystal Palace, Guardiola is likely to return to a full strength side on Saturday, meaning the likes of Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland should return to the 11.
Chelsea Predicted XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Cucurella; Pedro
Manchester City Predicted XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Khusanov, O’Reilly; Reijnders, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Bet9ja Tips
Manchester City are undoubtedly the favourites to win the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, and you can get odds for the Citizens win inside 90 minutes of 1.73 with Bet9ja.
Erling Haaland has scored three goals in three FA Cup appearances this term, and we are backing the striker to finally score his first goal for Manchester City in the final of a competition. You can get odds for the striker to score of 1.80 with Bet9ja.
Bet9ja Odds (at time of writing): Chelsea win: 4.65, Draw: 4.00, Manchester City win: 1.73 – result inside 90 minutes
