The stage is set for this afternoon’s FA Cup final and it’s a Manchester derby for the second time in as many years.
Should Manchester United win the FA Cup final it will be their 13th FA Cup title and Erik ten Hag’s second trophy during his time at the club, after the League Cup victory last season. In the build-up to the game, Ten Hag finds himself under huge pressure, however, owing to his team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Addressing fans on the pitch after the final home game of the Premier League season, Ten Hag said: “As you know it wasn’t an easy season…But this season is not over yet, we go to Brighton [for the final Premier League game] and then we go to Wembley and I promise you those players will give everything to win that [FA] Cup and bring it to Old Trafford.”
But unfortunately for Ten Hag, he will be without two key members of his defence.
If City win, it will be their eighth FA Cup triumph. They are the overwhelming favourites and if they win would complete a consecutive Premier League-FA Cup double.
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has spoken ahead of the final and revealed why he settled in so quickly at Manchester City.
When is the FA Cup final?
The 2024 FA Cup final will take place tomorrow, six days after the final round of Premier League matches. Kick-off is at 3pm.
It could be the last time the final is held in the Saturday slot after the last round of the Premier League, with the FA having agreed a deal that will see it moved to the weekend of the Premier League’s matchday 37 – the penultimate round – for at least the next six years.
Where is it being held?
Wembley Stadium in London will play host.
Wembley has been the venue for the competition’s finale since 1923 barring a six-year hiatus between 2001 and 2006, when it was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while the original Wembley was demolished and a new Wembley Stadium was built.
The northwest London venue will also host the 2024 Champions League Final a week later on June 1.
What TV channel is the FA Cup final on in the UK?
BBC and ITV have the rights to the FA Cup and will be showing the final. It will also be available on their digital platforms, BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
By law, the FA Cup final is one of the fixtures that must be shown on free-to-air television in the UK. The other football events with the same protection are the men’s and women’s World Cups, the men’s Euros and (in Scotland only) the Scottish Cup Final.
What happened in the semi-finals?
This year Manchester United reached the final thanks to a sketchy victory over Coventry City. The Championship team were 3-0 down deep into the second half of their semi-final only to score goals in the 71st, 79th and 95th minute. In extra time the underdogs thought they had the match won only for their winning goal to be ruled out for a marginal offside. Manchester United went on to win the tie in a penalty shoot-out.
In the other semi-final, Bernardo Silva scored the only goal as Manchester City beat Chelsea. The victory came just three days after Silva had missed a vital penalty in City’s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid.
Can I still get tickets for the final?
It is unlikely. Manchester United and Manchester City have each been allocated 30,000 tickets. That means that approximately two thirds of the stadium will be filled with actual fans. The tickets will be distributed to season ticket-holders only.
Last year, United and City each received 30,500 tickets. And the allocations for this year’s final are also lower than the 34,000 tickets they were given for the semi-finals.
The cheapest tickets will be £5 for under 16s, rising to £145 for adults.
Latest team news and injury updates
For Manchester United, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw will both miss the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday as Gareth Southgate sweats on the fitness of the defenders.
The United pair have both been named in Southgate’s provisional 33-man England squad for the Euros this summer. But neither player will feature in the final and are in a race to prove their fitness before Southgate names a final 26-man squad on June 7.
Maguire has missed United’s past four matches with a muscle injury that Ten Hag has said “didn’t heal as expected”. Shaw has not played since February 18 and recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious hamstring injury.
Manchester United’s probable team (4-1-4-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro; Grenache, McTominay, Mainoo, Rashford; Fernandes.
For Manchester City, Ederson is unavailable because of a fractured eye socket suffered in City’s penultimate Premier League game, against Tottenham.
Manchester City’s probable team (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Guardiol; Rodri; Bernard, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
What is the latest news?
The Prince of Wales will be at Wembley in the Royal Box, in his capacity as president of the Football Association.
His appearance is likely to be one of only a handful made by the royal family in the coming weeks, after the monarchy postponed engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign” following the announcement of a surprise summer General Election.
Elsewhere, Stefan Ortega has revealed why he settled in so quickly at Manchester City – a visit to his local pub.
The German goalkeeper has impressed as Ederson’s understudy since arriving in England two years ago and will be between the posts at Wembley in the absence of the injured No 1.
Signed from Arminia Bielefeld in July 2022, Ortega has finally provided some competition for Ederson and credits his speedy integration at City to an early trip to the boozer.
“When I lived in the hotel in the city centre I was alone in my first week,” Ortega explained. “My Mrs said to me ‘just have a walk around and see how it is’. I like beer, so…it was a sunny day in Manchester as well so I was just sitting in a pub and trying the beer. I don’t remember the pub, but the beer was good.”
So is he a lager or bitter man? “It has to be yellow,” Ortega says, although with his partner Sabina expecting their second child in August he joked it might be a while before he finds time to visit his local again. “Maybe in 18 years!” he said, laughing.
Ortega’s underlined his importance to City after replacing the injured Ederson in the second half of the 2-0 win at Spurs last week when he made three fine saves, including a superb stop to deny Son Heung-min one on one.
Even if Ederson had not been ruled out for the end of the season with a fractured right eye socket, Ortega would have been in goal against United this weekend having been Pep Guardiola’s designated FA Cup goalkeeper this season, like last.
Who are the current champions?
The FA Cup holders are Manchester City, who won their seventh FA Cup last season, and their second under Pep Guardiola, beating Manchester United 2-1.
Ilkay Gundogan broke the record for the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final, scoring after just 12 seconds. After a Bruno Fernandes penalty erased the opening goal, Gundogan scored again in the 51st minute, propelling City to the title.
Having already won the Premier League at the time, they would then go on to win the Champions League one week later to complete a treble.
What is the prize money for the FA Cup?
The winner of the final will receive £2 million from the FA. However, the cumulative prize money on offer for a team that progresses through the tournament and wins it stands at just over £4 million.
Last year, Manchester City earned around £3.9 million for winning the competition. By comparison, City earned £176.2 million for winning the Premier League and about £85 million for winning the Champions League.
Which team has won the most FA Cups?
Arsenal are the most successful club in FA Cup history, having won the tournament 14 timesmost recently in 2020. In second are Manchester United with 12 wins.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are in third with eight wins each. Aston Villa and Manchester City both have seven; Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers six; Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Wanderers fivewith Wolves, Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United, Preston North End, Old Etonians, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Bury all having won it twice.
What are the latest odds?
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Manchester City 1/4
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Manchester United 8/1
Odds correct as of May 25
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