LIVE: Manchester City v Manchester United – FA Cup final buildup

Julie Carroll

11 months ago

The game will take place at Wembley Stadium, kickoff is at 3pm local time (14:00 GMT).
The two Manchester sides will meet in the FA Cup final for the first time.
Treble-chasing Manchester City are the favourites; their stunning form since February has led them to the Premier League title and a Champions League final.
United will be desperate to derail their arch-rivals’ treble attempt by adding the FA Cup to the League Cup they won in February.
The game will take place at Wembley Stadium, kickoff is at 3pm local time (14:00 GMT).
The two Manchester sides will meet in the FA Cup final for the first time.
Treble-chasing Manchester City are the favourites; their stunning form since February has led them to the Premier League title and a Champions League final.
United will be desperate to derail their arch-rivals’ treble attempt by adding the FA Cup to the League Cup they won in February.

“When you’re a striker, patience is probably the biggest skill. I’ve always had the hunger to score, but this is what I needed to get right about playing as a number nine because this is what used to frustrate me the most – I don’t mind missing chances, I’d rather miss a chance than not get a chance.

“Sometimes when I was a number nine, I’d be just too impatient. I’d be trying to get on the ball because I’ve not seen much of the ball. Then the ball would go wide and I’d know where I need to be in the box, but I’m one second late and then it would just frustrate me.

“A lot of work has been put into just hold your positions, play a bit more with the defenders.”

Haaland warns defenders he is not the finished article

Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm in his first season, scoring 52 goals in all competitions since signing from Borussia Dortmund last year.

He is the first player to be voted Premier League player and young player of the year in the same season and was also named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) men’s footballer of the year.

In a warning to Premier League defenders for next season, Haaland said he is not the finished article.

“I’ve been developing in a really positive way and that’s really important for me because I’m still really young,” he said.

“I’m 22, I’ve got a long career ahead of me and I still have to develop. That’s also something I was thinking of over one year ago when I was thinking about my next move.”

‘It’s not about stopping them’

City wrapped up their fifth league title in six seasons and will be driven by the chance of achieving sporting immortality as they chase a treble.

But Ten Hag said they are focused on winning the trophy rather than preventing City from emulating United’s historic 1999 feat.

“We want to win a cup, it is not about stopping them, it is about winning the Cup. We have a great opportunity,” Ten Hag said.

Predicted line-ups

Predicted City XI: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Stones, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish, Haaland.

Predicted United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw, Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes, Sancho, Garnacho, Rashford.

United team news

Ten Hag has said that Brazilian winger Antony, who was carried off injured during their 4-1 win over Chelsea, still “has a chance [to play] but unlikely he is available”.

French forward Anthony Martial is ruled out with a hamstring strain, but Ten Hag said he is focused on winning with the “players who are available”.

City team news

Guardiola said his squad are fit and healthy for the clash at Wembley.

Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish “trained well” in the last two sessions, he said.

Stefan Ortega will keep his place in goal after starting throughout City’s FA Cup campaign, with Ederson on the bench.Why no check out some of Al Jazeera’s recent football videos:

Travel trouble

There could be travel chaos around the final as rail strikes mean there will be no train services running between Manchester and London on Saturday.

The Football Association is providing 120 buses – 60 per team – to help transport fans of City and United to and from the match.

The match has already been brought forward to 3pm (14:00 GMT) from its recent slot of 5:30pm (16:30 GMT) because London’s Metropolitan Police deems the match to be a high risk.

Train drivers are striking amid a long-running dispute over pay.

Guardiola puts City on red alert

Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City stars that Manchester United are capable of wrecking their treble dreams in Saturday’s FA Cup final.

“I am more focused on United right now. I saw their game against Chelsea. I was really impressed and I have started to review a little bit what they did to us in the game at Old Trafford [when United won 2-1 in January],” Guardiola said.

“As in the past, we have to be careful. I would be careful anyway, but after Thursday and their games recently, we are going to prepare the best we can.”

Ten Hag wants to bring back glory days

Erik ten Hag wants to bring the glory days back to Manchester United, but the Premier League club have a long way to go, the Dutch coach said.

The former Ajax Amsterdam manager took charge last year and overcame a wobbly start to end their six-year trophy drought.

An FA Cup victory would complete an impressive debut season at Old Trafford for the Dutchman after guiding his side, who finished third in the Premier League, to Champions League qualification for next season.

Three-time European champions United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.

“I look at our opponents, but we look to ourselves, and you have to see where you are as a club, and from there, you have to make progress, and I think we did over the last season,” Ten Hag told reporters ahead of Saturday’s clash against City.

Treble glory with Man City is Haaland’s ‘biggest dream’

Erling Haaland said in an interview published on Friday that firing Manchester City to a historic treble is the “biggest dream” of his career.

Haaland’s record-breaking haul of 36 Premier League goals helped City retain the title.

“It would be unreal to make this history. This is why they bought me of course, to get this, we don’t have to hide that,” Haaland told the BBC.

“It would mean everything. I will do everything I possibly can to try to make it happen. It’s my biggest dream and hopefully dreams do come true.”

Welcome to our live blog

Thanks for joining us as we cover the highly anticipated FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The game will take place at Wembley Stadium.

City will arrive at the game hoping to complete the second part of their incredible bid to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in a single season.

United are the only other English club to have won all three major trophies in one campaign, and Erik ten Hag’s men would dearly love to stop City from moving closer to matching their achievement.

The match is set to start at 3pm local time (14:00 GMT).

Follow us here for all the latest news and updates leading up to and through the game.

Source:-Aljazeera

Haaland warns defenders he is not the finished article

‘It’s not about stopping them’

Predicted line-ups

United team news

City team news

Travel trouble

Guardiola puts City on red alert

Ten Hag wants to bring back glory days

Treble glory with Man City is Haaland’s ‘biggest dream’

Welcome to our live blog