Chelsea and Manchester City will face off in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, as the focus temporarily shifts from their Premier League objectives.
The 2025/26 season has reached its endgame, and the next two weeks will give us the remaining champions in each competition. The weekend will crown the FA Cup winners after Chelsea vs Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea reached the FA Cup final after clinching a hard-fought 1-0 win over Leeds United in the semi-finals. Before that, the West London club had cruised to the penultimate stage, easing past Charlton Athletic, Hull City, and Port Vale while also beating a spirited Wrexham side. However, the Blues have been dreadful otherwise, and they come into Saturday’s clash on the back of a seven-match winless run in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Manchester United qualified for the FA Cup final after leaving it late to beat Southampton. That was the only closely-contested affair for Pep Guardiola’s men in the competition, as they barely broke a sweat in the wins over Exeter City, Salford City, Newcastle United, and Liverpool. Meanwhile, they warmed up for Saturday’s match with successive 3-0 victories in the Premier League, most recently versus Crystal Palace.
Chelsea and Manchester City have already clashed twice this season, with the match at Stamford Bridge ending in a straightforward 3-0 victory for Guardiola and his charges. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Calum McFarlane has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Chelsea’s interim head coach may be bereft of the services of only four first-team players vs Manchester City on Saturday.
Robert Sanchez (concussion), Pedro Neto (knock), and Alejandro Garnacho (unspecified) have resumed training. The trio may be fit and available to take on Manchester City this weekend. So, Estevao Willian (hamstring), Jesse Derry (head), and Jamie Gittens (thigh) are the only players in the treatment room, while Mykhailo Mudryk continues his suspension after failing a doping test over a year ago.
Sanchez should return between the sticks if he is ready, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Saturday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Reece James should line up alongside Moises Caicedo in the double pivot after building up his fitness in recent weeks. Enzo Fernandez will reprise the no. 10 role, with Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for Chelsea against Manchester City this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Neto; Pedro
Manchester City
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Pep Guardiola has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Manchester City manager should have a full-strength squad this weekend, with Rodri closing in on returning from a minor groin issue.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The backline will feature Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, and Nico O’Reilly.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri will join Bernardo Silva in the double pivot if he is fit and available, with Rayan Cherki reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack against Chelsea, with Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo being the two wide attackers. So, Phil Foden will be a backup option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Chelsea are on a 13-game winless run vs Manchester City, their longest against an opponent since going 17 without a victory against Arsenal between January 1999 and March 2004. Since the 2016-17 season, these are the two teams to win the most games in the FA Cup: City (45), Chelsea (37). They have also scored the most goals (City 159, Chelsea 111) and kept the most clean sheets (City 28, Chelsea 26) in that time
- Manchester City are the first team ever to play in four consecutive FA Cup finals, but they have lost the two most recent matches. Coincidentally, Chelsea are the only side to have ever lost the final in this competition in three consecutive campaigns, doing so between 2020 and 2022.
- After winning the EFL Cup final in March, City could make it the sixth instance of a team winning both major English cup competitions, after Arsenal in 1992/93, Liverpool in 2000/01 and 2021/22, Chelsea in 2006/07 and the Citizens themselves in 2018/19.
- Saturday’s match will be Chelsea’s 17th FA Cup final, the third most after Manchester United (22) and Arsenal (21). They have won eight and lost eight thus far. Additionally, the Blues have failed to score in their last four finals at Wembley.
- Enzo Fernandez has been involved in six goals in nine FA Cup appearances for Chelsea (4 goals, 2 assists), having also scored the winner in the semi-final against Leeds United.
Player to Watch
Jeremy Doku
While Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, and Erling Haaland were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Jeremy Doku as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley.
No player has been involved in more FA Cup goals than the Belgian winger (3 goals, 5 assists) across the last two seasons. Additionally, his five assists and 40 dribbles are the most of any Premier League player in that time. Considering Haaland’s unimpressive record in finals for City (15 shots without scoring), Doku may have to do the heavy lifting this weekend.
Prediction
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City
Chelsea’s scoring woes may have finally ended in recent outings, but they have failed to overcome their issues in the final third. Finishing has been the Achilles Heel for the West London club this term, as they have severely underperformed on their xG thus far, and particularly during the scoreless run.
With Manchester City picking up steam in the last few months, another steamrolling may be on the cards. However, unlike the Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will not go down without a fight, keeping the Citizens at bay before falling to a defeat. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
