Chelsea vs. Man City predictions: Blues' FA Cup final "destiny" against Pep Guardiola 'gift-wrap'

Royal blue ribbons or sky blue ribbons will adorn the FA Cup trophy on Saturday afternoon, when Chelsea and Manchester City collide under the Wembley Stadium arch.

For a Blues side still at risk of missing out on a top-seven finish in the Premier League table, triumphing in the showpiece could present their best path to European football for the 2026-27 campaign, as victory will guarantee a ticket to the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Man City are bidding to complete part two of three of a potential domestic treble, as the EFL Cup winners have not ceded the top-flight crown to leaders Arsenal just yet.

Ahead of Saturday's contest, the Sports Mole team picks their winner for the 2025-26 FA Cup final.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator - Man City

The last time Chelsea overcame Man City in any competition, Roman Abramovich was still at the Stamford Bridge helm, N'Golo Kante was running the show in midfield, and Kai Havertz celebrated scoring the winning goal in the 2020-21 Champions League final.

The West London giants upset the odds in Porto five years ago, and the side now led by managerial novice Calum McFarlane have hinted at a potential underdog story on Saturday, shutting out an in-form Leeds United side in the semi-final and deservedly taking a point off of Liverpool last weekend.

Man City also have thoughts of a Premier League title fight to be preoccupied with, but barring their chaotic draw at Everton, Pep Guardiola's end-of-season juggernaut is firing on all cylinders; eight wins in nine and nine goals across their last three.

The 2020, 2021 and 2022 finals all ended with Chelsea collecting runners-up medals, and Saturday should be no different.

Matt Law, Senior Reporter - Man City

I have to pick Man City here, but I am not expecting it to be an entirely comfortable game for Guardiola's side. In fairness to Chelsea, they were a lot better against Liverpool last time out, and this is not an elite Man City team.

Man City would join Chelsea on eight FA Cup trophies if they were to win the final on Saturday, and with a fresh Haaland ready to lead the line, I'm backing the Citizens to make it a domestic cup double for the 2025-26 season.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter - Man City

Saturday’s showpiece promises to be an intriguing contest between two teams keen to banish the ghosts of past FA Cup final defeats and finish a demanding domestic campaign with silverware. While Chelsea have lost their last three finals in a row between 2020 and 2022, Man City have suffered agonising defeats in the last two finals against rivals Man United and Crystal Palace.

Chelsea can ill-afford to produce a powderpuff attacking display if they wish to prevail this weekend; the Blues have failed to score in each of their last four Wembley finals and have netted just three goals in their last 10 matches across all competitions.

In contrast, Man City seem to have found their goalscoring groove ahead of their latest trip to the capital, netting 11 times in their last four games, and their ruthless attacking edge should prove too overwhelming for a Blues backline that has kept just two clean sheets in their last 22 outings.

Calum McFarlane’s side should not be written off entirely, as they have talented players at their disposal who could hurt City on their day, but Pep Guardiola’s men are widely expected to dominate the tempo of this contest and the EFL Cup champions should secure a domestic cup double.

Joel Lefevre, Reporter - Chelsea

Given the two teams and their form, this should be a straightforward victory for Man City.

That said, one-off games seem to be what Chelsea thrives on, and while they have skated by at times and benefited from some luck in this competition, I have a hunch they will find a way to win this match.

I think in a one-game situation, the Blues have the talent and ability to bring it all together, whereas City’s focus, is on trying to win the league.

While I like to believe the best teams will win, that is simply not always the case, especially in a one-match format, as evidenced by the previous Club World Cup and by the 2021 Champions League final.

The good fortune in the FA Cup seems to be leaning towards Chelsea, and it feels like it’s their destiny to clutch this trophy, be it deserved or not.

Seye Omidiora, Reporter - Man City

It is hard to make a case for Chelsea, whose collapse since January has been embarrassing.

While they have the potential to cause an upset when it comes together in certain games, there are far too many questions surrounding this temperamental squad.

City are not unbeatable, but Chelsea’s Jekyll-and-Hyde nature means predicting success for Pep Guardiola’s team is the most logical choice for Saturday’s final.

Marvellous Adepoju, Reporter - Man City

Since losing the 2020–21 Champions League final to Chelsea, City have gone unbeaten in their last 13 meetings with the Blues across all competitions, winning 10 and drawing three.

Having already lifted the EFL Cup this season, City could complete the domestic cup double for only the sixth time in English football history. Chelsea, meanwhile, have lost their last three FA Cup finals and have not won the trophy since 2018.

Pep Guardiola’s men are simply the better team, and I expect them to get the job done this weekend.

Nsidibe Akpan, Reporter - Man City

Some Chelsea fans were genuinely celebrating Manchester City beating their own team at Stamford Bridge back in April because they believed it would help stop Arsenal from winning a first Premier League title in 22 years and that pretty much summed up Chelsea’s season, when your fanbase is throwing a party after losing at home.

Ironically, that defeat was part of a miserable seven-match winless run in the Premier League for the Blues, although somehow, through the beautiful chaos that is football, they still stumbled their way into the FA Cup final, and to be fair, cup finals are usually a 50/50 occasion, but this one feels more like bringing a spoon to a sword fight. Football loves an underdog story though, and Chelsea becoming the underdog against City tells you everything about how far their stock has fallen.

Outside the blue side of west London, there probably are not many people backing Chelsea to lift the trophy this weekend, with constant speculation surrounding Pep Guardiola potentially leaving at the end of the season, City suddenly have the perfect Hollywood script in front of them: send off the greatest manager in their history with another shiny trophy and a domestic double for good measure.

The Premier League title is no longer in City’s control because if Arsenal beat Burnley and Crystal Palace, there is nothing they can do about it, but Chelsea’s recent form has practically arrived gift-wrapped for Guardiola. When one team is chasing history and the other is chasing explanations, you can see why City fans are feeling confident.

Maybe Chelsea supporters will celebrate another Manchester City victory if it means Arsenal end the season with fewer trophies than City. At this point, some Blues fans seem more emotionally invested in Arsenal not winning trophies than Chelsea actually winning them themselves, and honestly, it is very difficult to look beyond Guardiola adding yet another cup to a trophy cabinet that is already starting to look like a branch of the British Museum.

Anthony Nolan, Reporter - Man City

Man City may not be at their best this season, but they should have more than enough to get the better of Chelsea at Wembley.

The Citizens rested a number of first-team stars against Crystal Palace, all of whom will be raring to go on Saturday, and after lifting the EFL Cup back in March, Pep Guardiola’s side will be confident of success.

Meanwhile, the managerless Blues will take heart from the fact that they earned a point against Premier League champions Liverpool last weekend, though considering that even Igor Tudor’s Tottenham were able to do so, perhaps the Londoners should not put much stock in their 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Matheus Rocha, Trivela Subcoordinator - Man City

Levi Colwill's return is big for Chelsea, but it’s hard to trust the Blues defense regardless of who will be in net for them, either Filip Jorgensen or Robert Sanchez. Even with an easier road to the final, they didn’t look convincing against Wrexham and Leeds, and their league form is horrendous leading up to the final.

Yes, you can say Pep Guardiola’s side don’t look as good as in other seasons, but they still show better football than Chelsea at this point.