Preview: Chelsea vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Chelsea and Manchester City will make the march to the famous Wembley arch for Saturday afternoon’s 145th FA Cup final.

While the West Londoners are bidding to win their ninth FA Cup trophy, the Citizens are hoping to celebrate an eighth triumph in English football’s most prestigious cup competition.

Match preview

Chelsea travel across the capital facing the daunting task of salvaging something positive from a bitterly disappointing campaign, where heavy investment has yielded little reward this term and has left supporters disillusioned with the club’s youth-centric blueprint.

While the Blues continue their search for Liam Rosenior’s successor - with Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola believed to be among the leading candidates - Under-21s boss Calum McFarlane takes interim charge, aiming to become the first Chelsea coach to lift the FA Cup since Antonio Conte in 2018.

McFarlane’s tenure began three weeks ago with a tense FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United, where Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header secured a slender 1-0 victory. That success booked Chelsea's ticket to a 17th FA Cup showpiece - a final tally surpassed only by Manchester United (22) and Arsenal (21).

Chelsea’s previous four wins en route to Wembley all came against teams from outside the Premier League (Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham and Port Vale). They last beat two top-flight clubs in a single FA Cup season in 2020-21, winning against Sheffield United in the quarter-final before overcoming Man City in the last four.

The West Londoners have been prolific in the FA Cup this term, netting 21 times across their five matches. That goal-heavy run represents Chelsea's outright second-highest scoring campaign in the competition's history, besting the 20 goals managed in 2006-07 and trailing only the 25-goal haul of 1969-70.

In the Premier League, Chelsea languish in ninth place and sit six points adrift of the top six, having only just stopped the bleeding with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend. While that result at Anfield finally halted a torrid six-match losing streak, it extended their dismal top-flight winless run to seven games. European qualification now looks slim, but victory in the FA Cup final guarantees a place in next season’s Europa League.

However, the eight-time FA Cup winners will enter Saturday’s contest as underdogs and have a chequered history in the final of the competition, winning eight and losing eight of their previous 16 showpieces, including three FA Cup final losses in a row between 2020 and 2022.

Man City have etched their name into the FA Cup history books before even kicking a ball on Saturday, as they are the first club to reach four consecutive finals, though that historic consistency carries a frustrating recent record. After beating rivals Man United to lift the trophy in 2023, the Citizens suffered successive final defeats to the Red Devils and Crystal Palace over the last two campaigns.

Aside from those showpiece slip-ups, Man City have been faultless in the FA Cup, winning 21 of their last 23 matches, while they have won the most games (45), scored the most goals (159) and kept the most clean sheets (28) in the competition since Pep Guardiola’s debut season in 2016-17.

Man City’s road to Wembley began with an emphatic 10-1 demolition of Exeter City in the third round, matching the club's biggest-ever win in the FA Cup. From there, Guardiola’s men navigated past Salford City, Newcastle United and Liverpool, before coming from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in a tense semi-final showdown.

While City are desperate to avoid matching Chelsea's unwanted record of three consecutive FA Cup final losses, another major milestone is within reach. Victory for the reigning EFL Cup champions - who beat Arsenal at Wembley in March - would see them become just the sixth team in English football history to complete the prestigious domestic cup double – a feat the Citizens previously achieved in 2018-19.

A domestic treble remains mathematically possible for the Sky Blues, as they continue to breathe down Arsenal’s necks in the Premier League title race. Back-to-back 3-0 home victories over Brentford and Crystal Palace, the latter coming on Wednesday, have helped the Citizens move to within two points of the Gunners at the summit, but their destiny remains out of their own hands.

For now, City’s primary focus shifts to their 15th FA Cup final, and like Chelsea, they hold a 50% success rate across their previous showpieces in the competition, winning and losing seven each. At Wembley, Guardiola will lead his team out under the famous arch for a record 24th time, cementing the Citizens as Wembley's most frequent visitors since his 2016 arrival. Chelsea, meanwhile, have logged the second-most visits (16) in that same period.

Man City also boast a formidable head-to-head record against Chelsea, having gone unbeaten in their last 13 meetings across all competitions (W10 D3) since a narrow 1-0 defeat in the 2021 Champions League final. This dominant streak includes a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final triumph in April 2024, while they most recently eased to a 3-0 Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge just over a month ago.

Chelsea FA Cup form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Manchester City FA Cup form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Team News

Chelsea trio Estevao Willian (knee), Jamie Gittens (hamstring) and Jesse Derry (head) all remain sidelined with injuries, but McFarlane has confirmed that Robert Sanchez (head), Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho (both muscle) have all trained this week and could be involved on Saturday.

Injury-prone captain Reece James has also ‘trained well’ and he could be recalled to start either at right-back at the expense of Malo Gusto or in a deep-lying midfield role alongside Moises Caicedo, with Andrey Santos the unfortunate one to make way.

Enzo Fernandez has been involved in six goals in nine FA Cup games for Chelsea (four goals, two assists) and he will aim to become the first Blues player since Didier Drogba and Ramires in 2011-12 to score in both the semi-final and final in the same season.

A number 10 role for the Argentine will likely see former Man City youngster Cole Palmer operate on the right side of attack. Marc Cucurella impressed as a left-winger against Liverpool and may also retain his starting spot, while 20-goal Joao Pedro is expected to lead the line.

As for Man City, their only injury concern is with key midfielder Rodri, who has missed the last five matches with a groin issue and remains a doubt.

Nico Gonzalez was left out of the squad that beat Crystal Palace in midweek, but he is “fine” to play on Saturday. He scored the semi-final winner for City and could be chosen to start alongside captain Bernardo Silva if Rodri is not ready to return.

Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki were all benched against Palace, while Nico O’Reilly was absent from the matchday squad. However, all four players are expected to start against Chelsea. O’Reilly scored both of City’s goal in the EFL Cup final win over Arsenal and is set to return at left-back at the expense of Josko Gvardiol, who is now fit and available after four months out injured.

Phil Foden produced a man-of-the-match performance in midweek as a centre-midfielder, setting up both of City’s first two goals, but Cherki is a strong candidate to replace the England international and start as a No.10 behind Haaland, who has remarkably never scored across 15 semi-final or final appearances since joining the Citizens in 2022.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Cucurella; Pedro

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

We say: Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City

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

In contrast, Man City seem to have found their goalscoring groove ahead of their latest trip to the capital, netting 11 goals in their last four matches, 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.

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

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