MacFarlane seeks to rescue his side’s season… Guardiola eyes the treble
The historic Wembley Stadium in central London will once again draw the spotlight as it hosts the English FA Cup final on Saturday between Manchester City and Chelsea.
Both teams are bidding to climb the podium and lift the competition’s historic trophy, the oldest in English football history, first held in 1871.
While Chelsea aim to win the competition for the ninth time in their history and move clear into third place on the list of most successful clubs, currently sharing the position with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City are chasing an eighth triumph, which would make them the fourth club in the tournament’s history to reach that mark. Arsenal hold the record with 14 titles, just one ahead of nearest challenger Manchester United.
This will be the third meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea in all competitions this season, after they faced each other twice already in the English Premier League.
The teams drew 1–1 at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s home ground, in their first league clash on January 4, before City posted a 3–0 win at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on April 12.
Chelsea reached the FA Cup final for the 17th time in their history—and for the first time since 2021–22—after squeezing past Leeds United 1–0 in the semifinal at Wembley itself.
Argentina international midfielder Enzo Fernández claimed the starring role by scoring Chelsea’s only goal, keeping the London club’s dream of reclaiming the trophy alive for the first time since 2017–18.
Since their last FA Cup title, Chelsea have lost the final in each of their three most recent appearances in this stage between the 2019–20 and 2021–22 seasons, and they have finished runners‑up in the competition eight times.
Under the temporary management of Calum MacFarlane, Chelsea hope to make peace with their frustrated fans over the side’s poor domestic league form this season, as they currently sit ninth in the Premier League, far removed from the positions that would qualify them for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have reached the final for the 15th time in their history and the fourth in a row, after surviving a painful scare in the same stadium against Southampton, who currently feature in the Championship.
Guardiola’s Spanish‑helmed side conceded a shock goal in the 79th minute through Vinny Azar, but their players quickly turned the match around, replying with goals from Jérémy Doku and Nico González to seal a 2–1 comeback win.
Since City’s last FA Cup triumph in 2022–23, they have lost the final in the next two seasons to Manchester United and Crystal Palace respectively, and they have been runners‑up seven times overall.
Manchester City remain on track to complete yet another domestic treble this season under Guardiola, having already secured the Carabao Cup title in March.
Beyond their place in the FA Cup final, City still have genuine hopes of lifting the Premier League trophy, currently sitting in second place, two points behind leaders Arsenal, with only two matchdays remaining.
Chelsea will be without their highly talented Brazilian teenager Estevão, whose season is over due to a knee‑ligament injury suffered in the 1–0 defeat to Manchester United last month.
They also lost first‑choice goalkeeper Robert Sánchez during a league draw with Liverpool, after he suffered a strong head collision with Morgan Gibbs‑White in the 3–1 loss to Nottingham Forest early this month, although he appears close to a return before the final against City, unless medical checks rule him out fully.
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto are expected to return for Chelsea after missing the previous two matches due to minor injuries, while skipper Reece James has recovered from a knee‑ligament strain and may lead the side at Wembley.
Manchester City, for their part, head into the cup final with an almost full squad, apart from midfielder Rodri, who has missed the last five matches in all competitions with a thigh injury.
Rodri has returned to training recently, but Guardiola has not yet confirmed his participation, while Erling Haaland, midfielder Riyad Mahrez, and winger Jérémy Doku are likely to start again after being rested in the 3–0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday. James Trafford, meanwhile, will be given a chance to start in goal against Chelsea.
Although City dropped two crucial points against Everton after a 3–3 thriller that could ultimately cost them the Premier League title, they have regained their attacking rhythm ahead of the FA Cup final, making it difficult to write off their chances of lifting the trophy.
By contrast, Chelsea produced far better performances against Leeds and Liverpool than in their recent league outings, and may benefit from entering the final as the under‑dogs, as they were in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Paris Saint‑Germain in the United States last summer—a match they won 3–0 to claim the trophy emphatically.
In numerical terms, the two clubs have met 182 times in all competitions, with Chelsea holding a slight edge thanks to 71 wins, compared to 69 for Manchester City, while 42 encounters ended in draws.
Yet if we focus on recent meetings, the picture tilts overwhelmingly in City’s favor: they have won 10 of the last 13 clashes, with three draws and no defeats across all competitions.
Therefore, Chelsea will be hoping to break this disastrous run and secure their first win over City in roughly five years—since their 1–0 triumph in the UEFA Champions League final on
