The 144th FA Cup final will take centre stage under the famous arch of Wembley Stadium where Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Manchester City lock horns on Saturday afternoon.
While the Citizens are bidding to win England's most prestigious cup competition for the eighth time, the Eagles are hoping to get their hands on their first-ever piece of major silverware in their 120-year existence as a professional club.
Match preview
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Will it be third time lucky for Crystal Palace or is more Manchester misery on the horizon? The Eagles have progressed to their third FA Cup final having lost the previous two to Manchester United in 1990 and 2016 - they are one of four clubs to compete in two finals without ever winning the trophy along with Queen's Park (1884 and 1885), Birmingham City (1931 and 1956) and Watford (1984 and 2019).
Oliver Glasner's men have breezed through to the Wembley showpiece courtesy of victories against Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Fulham and Aston Villa. They have conceded just one goal in this season's competition thus far and have scored exactly three goals in each of the last three rounds, most recently beating Villa in comprehensive fashion by a 3-0 scoreline in the semi-finals three weeks ago.
Since then, Palace have extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches, with a 1-1 Premier League draw at home to top-five hopefuls Nottingham Forest followed by a dominant 2-0 win at strugglers Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, thanks to a superb brace from their star man Eberechi Eze.
Now sitting 12th in the Premier League table and with the same amount of points as last season (49) with two games to spare, Palace will briefly put their slim top-10 aspirations to once side as they chase immortality, with FA Cup glory not only enough to etch their name into the history books, but it would also seem them qualify for next season's Europa League - the Eagles last competed in Europe back in 1998 (UEFA Intertoto Cup).
Ahead of the final, Glasner has insisted that it is "business as usual" for his Palace players in training and it "makes no sense" to approach this pivotal week in the club's history differently, as it "would just make them dizzy".
In front of over 30,000 Palace supporters, Glasner and co will endeavour to end a seven-game winless run against Man City (D3 L4), one that was extended just five weeks ago when they suffered a 5-2 Premier League defeat at the Etihad Stadium, despite taking a two-goal lead in the opening 21 minutes.
The Eagles have also lost three of their previous four FA Cup encounters with the Citizens - their only victory was in fact their very first meeting with City in the first round of the competition back in January 1921 (2-0). However, they have won three of their last five finals in all competitions, including two Championship playoff finals (1997 and 2013) and success in the now defunct Full Members' Cup (1991).
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Man City have become the first team in English football history to reach the final of both major domestic cup competitions three seasons running - they reached the EFL Cup final in four successive campaigns between 2017-18 and 2020-21, and they are now gearing up for their third consecutive FA Cup showpiece.
Indeed, the Citizens have made Wembley their second home as they have played under the iconic arch a whopping 30 times since 2011, at least seven more than any other team. Pep Guardiola's side competed in a record seventh straight FA Cup semi-final at the end of last month, beating Nottingham Forest by a 2-0 scoreline, after getting the better of Salford City, Plymouth Argyle, Leyton Orient and Bournemouth in the previous four rounds.
The FA Cup represents Man City's only chance of winning major domestic silverware this season, as their unprecedented four-year dominance at the Premier League summit has come to an end in what has been a turbulent 2024-25 campaign, one they hope to end on a high by beating Palace this weekend and securing a top-five finish.
Champions League qualification remains up in the air, though, as Man City were surprisingly held to a frustrating goalless stalemate by already-relegated Southampton last time out. With the Citizens in FA Cup action this weekend, they could slip down to sixth if both Chelsea and Aston Villa - sitting directly below them with two fewer points - win their next league fixtures against Man United and Tottenham respectively.
While some may argue that Guardiola will have one eye on next Tuesday's important PL clash against Bournemouth, Man City's primary focus should - and most likely will - be on their 14th FA Cup final appearance. Victory on Saturday would see the Citizens lift their eighth FA Cup and draw level with Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, while only Arsenal (14) and Man United (13) have ever won more.
Man City, who are boasting a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W7 D3), have won their last three FA Cup meetings with Crystal Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4, including a remarkable 11-4 fifth-round victory back in February 1926 - the most goal-laden Man City game of all time.
After losing to rivals Man United in last season's FA Cup final, City are now seeking to avoid losing consecutive appearances in major domestic finals (FA Cup/EFL Cup) for the second time, after losing the 1926 and 1933 FA Cup showpieces against Bolton and Everton respectively.
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Crystal Palace are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Adam Wharton who will be assessed ahead of kickoff after missing last weekend's win at Spurs with a twisted ankle. Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure, meanwhile, remain sidelined with long-term knee injuries.
Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma both started in centre-midfield last time out in Wharton's absence and are in contention to retain their places, while Daichi Kamada is another midfield option available for selection.
In-form Eze has scored five goals in his last four games and has also been involved in four goals in as many FA Cup matches (three goals, one assist). The England international is expected to start in an advanced role alongside Ismaila Sarr, who netted a brace in Palace's semi-final win over Aston Villa.
Eddie Nketiah - a 2020 FA Cup winner with Arsenal - will be pushing for a start having been involved in a goal in each of his last three FA Cup appearances (two goals, one assist), but 17-goal striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is set to lead the line, while Glasner will likely name an unchanged back five that will protect ex-Man United goalkeeper Dean Henderson between the sticks.
As for Man City, they are once again set to be without Rodri (ACL/fitness), Nathan Ake (foot), Oscar Bobb (hamstring) and John Stones (thigh), although the former three are making progress in their respective training programmes.
Guardiola could be tempted to recall both Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes to play as makeshift full-backs, the former of whom has been City's breakout star in the FA Cup having contributed with three goals and two assists in five appearances - only Exeter City's Josh Magennis (six) has had a hand in more goals in the competition proper this term.
Kevin De Bruyne, who boasts an impressive FA Cup record, is likely to start in his fourth and final FA Cup final with Man City; the Belgian has been involved in four goals in his previous three finals (one goal, three assists). Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Nico Gonzalez, meanwhile, will all battle for a start alongside De Bruyne in midfield.
After struggling to create chances in wide areas against Southampton, Phil Foden and James McAtee are in danger of being replaced by Jeremy Doku and Omar Marmoush, but Erling Haaland is seemingly destined to lead the line - City's top scorer with 30 goals in 41 matches across all competitions this season has scored six goals in four games against Palace, but he has failed to find the net in any of his five Wembley appearances for the club, with three of those coming in the FA Cup.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Eze, Sarr; Mateta
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Kovacic, Bernardo; Doku, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland
We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City
An entertaining, end-to-end contest could be in store this weekend as both Crystal Palace and Man City have scored two or more goals in each of their last four meetings (two 2-2 draws as well as 4-2 and 5-2 victories for the Citizens).
Palace fans may not expect to see their team beat City, but they have every right to believe that they have a chance against Guardiola's side who are still susceptible on the counter-attack. The Eagles will cause the Citizens problems if they replicate their superb all-round performance from the semi-finals against Aston Villa.
However, Glasner's men can ill-afford to give away too many chances and allow Man City to relentlessly attack their back five. If City can swiftly move on from their poor display at Southampton and play at their optimal level, as well as deliver quality service to Haaland, then they will back themselves to come out on top.
A moment of magic could well decide this intriguing contest, but we ultimately feel that Man City will find a way to outscore their opponents en route to winning the FA Cup.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
