Chelsea vs Manchester City – News and Probable Lineups

Chelsea and Manchester City are set to head to the iconic Wembley stadium for this Saturday’s 145th FA Cup final.

While Chelsea aims to secure their ninth FA Cup title, Manchester City is seeking to clinch their eighth victory in this prestigious English competition.

Match overview

Chelsea makes their way across the city, facing the challenging prospect of extracting some positivity from a season that has been remarkably disappointing, despite substantial financial investment that has offered little return this term, leading to a disaffected fanbase in relation to the club’s focus on youth development.

While the Blues continue their quest for a replacement for Liam Rosenior—rumored candidates include Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola—Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane is temporarily in charge, hoping to be the first Chelsea manager since Antonio Conte in 2018 to lift the FA Cup.

McFarlane’s stint began three weeks prior with a tense FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United, where a first-half header from Enzo Fernandez secured a narrow 1-0 victory. This win secured Chelsea’s spot in a 17th FA Cup final, a record only surpassed by Manchester United (22) and Arsenal (21).

Chelsea’s path to Wembley included four victories over lower-league teams (Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham, and Port Vale). They last defeated two Premier League opponents in the same FA Cup season during the 2020-21 campaign, overcoming Sheffield United in the quarter-finals before beating Manchester City in the semi-finals.

This season, Chelsea has been prolific in the FA Cup, scoring a total of 21 goals across five matches. This goal-laden stretch marks their second-highest scoring campaign in the competition’s history, surpassing the 20 goals scored in 2006-07, and trailing only the 25 goals recorded in 1969-70.

In the Premier League, Chelsea finds themselves in ninth position, trailing the top six by six points, having only just halted a grim stretch with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend. While this result at Anfield finally ended a dismal six-game losing streak, it extended their winless run in the top flight to seven matches. Qualification for European competitions appears slim, but winning the FA Cup final guarantees a spot in next season’s Europa League.

However, the eight-time FA Cup champions will enter the encounter on Saturday as underdogs and have a mixed record in previous finals, winning eight and losing eight of their last 16 showpieces, with three consecutive FA Cup final defeats between 2020 and 2022.

Manchester City have already made their mark in FA Cup history before even stepping onto the pitch this Saturday, becoming the first club to reach four consecutive finals. However, this remarkable consistency carries a frustrating recent trend, as the Citizens lifted the trophy in 2023 but faced back-to-back final defeats to Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the previous two seasons.

Aside from those final setbacks, Manchester City has been outstanding in the FA Cup, winning 21 of their last 23 matches. They also lead the competition in games won (45), total goals scored (159), and clean sheets kept (28) since Pep Guardiola took charge in the 2016-17 season.

The journey to Wembley for City commenced with a commanding 10-1 victory over Exeter City in the third round, matching the club’s largest ever FA Cup win. Subsequently, Guardiola’s team advanced past Salford City, Newcastle United, and Liverpool, culminating in a comeback 2-1 win against Southampton during a tense semi-final.

As City aims to avoid equalling Chelsea’s unwanted record of three consecutive FA Cup final defeats, they are also on the brink of achieving another significant milestone. A win for the reigning EFL Cup champions—who triumphed over Arsenal at Wembley in March—would see them become only the sixth team in English football history to complete the esteemed domestic cup double, a feat they managed in the 2018-19 season.

A domestic treble remains mathematically achievable for the Sky Blues as they closely pursue Arsenal in the Premier League title race. Recent back-to-back 3-0 home wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace— the latter occurring on Wednesday—have brought City within two points of the Gunners, though their fate is not solely in their own hands.

Currently, City’s main focus shifts to their 15th FA Cup final, where they boast an equal success rate in previous contests, having won and lost seven each. At Wembley, Guardiola will lead his squad onto the famous arch for a record 24th time, establishing Manchester City as the most frequent visitors since his arrival in 2016. Chelsea, in this same timeframe, has made the second-most visits (16).

Manchester City also holds a strong head-to-head record against Chelsea, remaining unbeaten in their last 13 encounters across all competitions (W10 D3) since their narrow 1-0 defeat in the 2021 Champions League final. This impressive run includes a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup semi-finals last April, and most recently, they secured a 3-0 win in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge just over a month ago.

Team News

Chelsea will be without Estevao Willian (knee), Jamie Gittens (hamstring), and Jesse Derry (head) due to injuries, but McFarlane has confirmed that Robert Sanchez (head), Pedro Neto, and Alejandro Garnacho (both muscle injuries) participated in training this week and may be available for Saturday’s match.

Captain Reece James, who has a history of injuries, has also had ‘good training’ sessions and could return to the starting lineup, possibly taking the right-back position over Malo Gusto or acting in a deeper midfield role alongside Moises Caicedo, with Andrey Santos the one likely to miss out.

Enzo Fernandez has contributed to six goals in nine FA Cup appearances for Chelsea (four goals, two assists) and will aim to become the first Blues player since Didier Drogba and Ramires in the 2011-12 season to score in both the semi-final and final in the same campaign.

A number 10 position for the Argentine is expected to also see former Manchester City youth player Cole Palmer operating on the right flank. Marc Cucurella impressed as a left-winger against Liverpool, and he might retain his place, while Joao Pedro, who scored 20 goals, is slated to lead the attack.

For Manchester City, their only injury concern revolves around key midfielder Rodri, who has been sidelined for the last five matches with a groin issue and is uncertain for the fixture.

Nico Gonzalez was omitted from the squad for the recent match against Crystal Palace, but he is “fine” to play on Saturday. He scored the winning goal in the semi-finals for City and may start alongside captain Bernardo Silva if Rodri is unable to return to the lineup.

Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki were all rested in the game against Palace, while Nico O’Reilly did not feature in the matchday squad. However, all four players are anticipated to start against Chelsea. O’Reilly netted both goals in the EFL Cup final against Arsenal and is set to return at left-back over Josko Gvardiol, who is now fit to return after a four-month injury layoff.

Phil Foden delivered a man-of-the-match performance as a central midfielder last time, assisting on both of City’s opening goals, but Cherki is a strong candidate to replace the England international, taking the No.10 role behind Haaland, who has yet to score in 15 semi-final or final matches since joining the Citizens in 2022.

Chelsea probable starting XI

Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Cucurella; Peter

Manchester City probable starting XI

Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Chelsea cannot afford to have a lackluster attacking performance if they wish to succeed on Saturday; the Blues have not scored in their last four finals at Wembley and have only managed three goals in their last 10 matches across all competitions.

In stark contrast, Manchester City appears to have regained their scoring touch as they head into their latest capital match, scoring 11 goals in their last four fixtures, and their incisive attack is likely to prove too formidable for a Chelsea defense that has kept just two clean sheets in their last 22 outings.

Chelsea should not be dismissed entirely, as they possess talented players who could pose a threat to City on their day, but Guardiola’s side is widely expected to control the rhythm of this match and secure a domestic cup double.