Manchester United and Manchester City will face each other in the 2023/24 FA Cup final in what is also the last game of English top-flight football this season.
Manchester City are going into this game full of confidence having lifted their fourth consecutive Premier League title, a feat that has never been achieved in the history of the league. However, United are condemned to win this game as it is their only chance to play in Europe next season.
Manchester City have never beaten their United three times in a season since the 1969/70 season. This game is very important for Erik Ten Hag as his future solely depends on whether he will remain as United’s manager going into the 2024/25 season.
Man Utd are the lowest-ranked side to play in the FA Cup showpiece since Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in 2020. There have been six previous occasions of a side finishing eighth or lower facing that season’s champions in the final Aston Villa (10th) beat Manchester United 2-1 in 1957, but since then such sides have lost all five finals.
Head to Head:
This match is a repeat of last year’s final, where City beat United 2-1 to complete the second part of their league, FA Cup and Champions League treble. Gündogan scored two goals to cancel Bruno Fernandes’ first-half penalty.
Manchester City have also won both Premier League meetings this season beating them 3-0 at Old Trafford and 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium against their noisy neighbours. However, Manchester United fans can take confidence from the fact their team have won five of their last seven FA Cup games against Man City. But bootherdefeats in that run have come in games at Wembley, in the semi-final and final in 2011 and 2023 respectively.
Recent form:
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 35 matches across all competitions (W29 D6) this includes their Champions League quarter-final exit to Real Madrid which they eventually lost on penalties.
Manchester City’s run is the second-longest run by a top-flight club in English football history, after Nottingham Forest’s run of 40 in 1978. The Cityzens have also won each of their last 11 matches in the FA Cup, there have only been two longer winning runs in the competition’s history, Blackburn Rovers (20 between 1883 and 1886) and Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).
Meanwhile United have enjoyed a bit of good results in the FA Cup, their 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the quarter-final stands out in their run to the final.
Prediction:
We expect Manchester City to come out victorious in the game despite the level of importance of this game to Manchester United.
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