The FA Cup final is on the program this afternoon and for the second time in as many years it is a Manchester derby.
Should Manchester United win the FA Cup final, it will be their thirteenth FA Cup title and Erik ten Hag’s second trophy during his time at the club, following last season’s League Cup triumph. However, in the run-up to the match, Ten Hag is under great pressure due to his team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Ten Hag told the fans on the pitch after the last home game of the Premier League season: “As you know it has not been an easy season…But this season is not over yet, we are going 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 take him to Old Trafford.”
But unfortunately for Ten Hag, he will have to make do without two key figures in his defense.
If City win, it will be their eighth FA Cup victory. They are the overwhelming favorites and if they win they would complete a back-to-back Premier League-FA Cup double.
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has spoken ahead of the final and revealed why he found his way at Manchester City so quickly.
When is the FA Cup final?
The 2024 FA Cup Final takes place tomorrow, six days after the final round of Premier League matches. The kick-off is at 3 p.m.
It could be the last time the final is held on Saturday after the final round of the Premier League, with the FA having struck a deal that will see the final moved to the weekend of matchday 37 of the Premier League – the penultimate round – for at least the next six years.
Where is it held?
Wembley Stadium in London will host.
Wembley has been the venue for the competition’s final since 1923, with the exception of 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 built .
The northwest London venue will also host the 2024 Champions League final a week later on June 1.
Which TV channel will air the FA Cup final in Great Britain?
BBC and ITV have the rights to the FA Cup and will show 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 matches that must be shown on free-to-air television in Britain. The other football events with the same protection are the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, the Men’s European Championships and (in Scotland only) the Scottish Cup Final.
What happened in the semi-finals?
This year, Manchester United reached the final thanks to a poor victory over Coventry City. The Championship team trailed 3–0 deep into the second half of the semi-final, but scored goals in the 71st, 79th and 95th minutes. In extra time, the underdogs thought they had won the match on their own, only to have their winning goal disallowed for marginal offside. Manchester United then won the tie via a penalty shoot-out.
In the other semi-final, Bernardo Silva scored the only goal as Manchester City defeated Chelsea. The victory came just three days after Silva missed a crucial penalty in City’s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid.
Can I still get tickets for the final?
It’s unlikely. Manchester United and Manchester City have each been allocated 30,000 tickets. That means about two-thirds of the stadium will be filled with real fans. The tickets will only be distributed to season ticket holders.
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 received for the semi-finals.
The cheapest tickets cost £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, with Gareth Southgate sweating on the defenders’ fitness.
The United duo have both been included in Southgate’s provisional 33-man England squad for this summer’s European Championship. 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 last four games due to a muscle injury which Ten Hag said “did not heal as expected”. Shaw has not played since February 18 and recently suffered a setback in his recovery after a serious hamstring injury.
Manchester United’s likely team (4-1-4-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro; Garnacho, McTominay, Mainoo, Rashford; Fernandes.
Ederson is unavailable for Manchester City due to a fractured eye socket suffered in City’s penultimate Premier League match, against Tottenham.
Likely Manchester City team (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
What’s the latest news?
The Prince of Wales will attend Wembley in the Royal Box, in his capacity as President of the Football Association.
His appearance is likely to be one of a few the royal family will make in coming weeks, after the monarchy postponed appointments “that could distract attention or distract from the election campaign” following the announcement of a surprise general election in the summer.
Elsewhere, Stefan Ortega has revealed why he joined Manchester City so quickly – 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.
Ortega, signed from Arminia Bielefeld in July 2022, has finally given Ederson some competition and puts his quick integration at City down to an early trip to the pub.
“When I lived in the hotel in the city center, I was alone for the first week,” Ortega explains. “My lady said to me: ‘just walk around and see how it goes’. I love beer so it was also a sunny day in Manchester so I just sat in a pub and tried the beer. I can’t remember the pub but the beer was good.”
So is he a lager or a bitter man? “It has to be yellow,” says Ortega, although with his partner Sabina expecting their second child in August, he joked that it might be a while before he finds time to visit his local again. “Maybe in 18 years!” he said laughing.
Ortega underlined his importance to City after replacing the injured Ederson in the second half of the 2-0 win over 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 due to 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, as he did last season .
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 twelve seconds. After a Bruno Fernandes penalty canceled out the opening goal, Gundogan scored again in the 51st minute to propel City to the title.
Having already won the Premier League at the time, they would win the Champions League a 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 gets through the tournament and wins it is 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 around £85 million for winning the Champions League.
Which team has won the most FA Cups?
Arsenal are the most successful club in the history of the FA Cup, having won the tournament 14 timeslast in 2020. In second place is Manchester United 12 wins.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are in third place eight wins each. Aston Villa and Manchester City both have that 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 winning it twice.
What are the latest odds?
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Manchester City 1/4
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Manchester United 8/1
The odds are correct as of May 25