Rivals On Sunday, the FA Cup final will feature a match between Manchester City and Manchester United.
In this article, the PA news agency examines some of the most important talking points before the match at Wembley.
The treble
To clinch a magnificent triple, City travels to Wembley. The Champions League championship match versus Inter Milan is still to come, but the Premier League championship has already been won. United is the only other English club to have accomplished this feat, back in 1999, which only serves to add spice to the event. Stopping their neighbors from copying them is what their followers would most likely love to see.
Influence of the Champions League Final
It would be intriguing to observe how much the Champions League championship game will influence Pep Guardiola’s decision to manage City. The European tournament is without a doubt his top objective because it is the one significant award that he has failed to win while at City. In consideration of such, he can decide to hold back players. He does not typically act in this manner, and there is time for relaxation and rehabilitation as there is a week between games. Guardiola will also need to retain his best players in top form, and there are few better contests than the Wembley final to accomplish so.
Haaland seeking more publicity
This season, Erling Haaland has made a name for himself everywhere. With 52 goals in all competitions, the prolific Norwegian has made a sensational impact at City. Dixie Dean may not be able to break the nearly 100-year-old single-season record of 63, but he will still be driven to set new records and increase his total of big, competition-winning strikes. Although he is not City’s lone threat, United will be most afraid of him.
Ten Hag restoration
Old Trafford is feeling better thanks to Erik Ten Hag following a terrible 2021–22 season during which they went through three managers. The Dutchman has largely been given credit for the manner he turned the squad around, despite some ugly losses along the way, most notably the 4-0 at Brentford, 6-3 at City, and 7-0 at Liverpool. He returned them to the Champions League and won the Carabao Cup. As they began to play well in the middle of the season, there was even speculation of a title challenge. Although United is still far from where they want to be, winning the FA Cup would mark the end of a great season.
“United Options”
A successful Premier League campaign for United was fueled by their desire to play in the Champions League. They won four straight games to secure third place while players staked claims for spots in the cup final. Ten Hag is now faced with the enjoyable challenge of choosing which players to omit as a result. The composition of the attack might be especially intriguing with Marcus Rashford fully well after his illness, Antony getting near to making a full recovery from an injury, and Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho having made good progress in recent weeks.