Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the 153rd FA Cup final on Saturday, hoping to rescue their season with silverware. Pep Guardiola's side have all but sealed their UEFA Champions League spot for next season, but can add gloss to what the Spanish manager described as the "toughest season" of his career.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are chasing the first major trophy in the club's existence, having lost two FA Cup finals in the past (1990 and 2016). Oliver Glasner's side have secured a comfortable mid-table finish in the Premier League and are currently 12th, but can gain European football with a Cup victory.
City have been boosted by the return of Erling Haaland, although he did draw a blank in their previous game against Southampton, which finished 0-0. Guardiola's side reached the final thanks to a comfortable 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the semifinal, with Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol finding the net. Palace were similarly dominant in their semifinal, romping to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa courtesy of a stunning goal from Eberechi Eze and a brace from Ismaila Sarr. Eze's scoring form continued into Palace's most recent game as he grabbed a brace in a 2-0 win at Tottenham.
With both sides in relatively good form going into the final, it is anyone's guess who will win. City will be doubly motivated by this being Kevin De Bruyne's last final for the club. Palace are underdogs on paper, but have the capacity to surprise City. They beat them at Selhurst Park earlier in the season and in theri most recent meeting in April, took a shock 2-0 lead before eventually losing 5-2
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Saturday's game.
How to watch:
The match will be available on ITV and BBC iPlayer in the UK, ESPN in the United States, SonyLIV in India and Optus Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date: Saturday, May 17 at 4.30 p.m. BST (11.30 a.m. E.T.; 9 p.m. IST and 2.30 a.m. AEDT on Sunday)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London.
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Jared Gillett
Team news:
Crystal Palace
Adam Wharton, M, ankle, DOUBT, estimated return mid May
Chadi Riad, D, knee, OUT, estimated return early January 2026
Cheick Doucoure, M, knee, OUT, estimated return early August
Manchester City
John Stones, D, thigh, OUT, estimated return late May
Nathan Aké, D, foot, OUT, estimated return early July
Oscar Bobb, F, knock, OUT, estimated return late May
Rodri, M, knee, OUT, estimated return early July
Expected Lineups:
Crystal Palace
GK: Dean Henderson
CB: Chris Richards | CB: Maxence Lacroix | CB: Marc Guehi
RM: Daniel Munoz | CM: Adam Wharton | CM: Daichi Kamada | LM: Tyrick Mitchell
AM: Ismaila Sarr | AM: Eberechi Eze
CF: Jean-Philippe Mateta
Manchester City
GK: Ederson
RB: Rico Lewis | CB: Ruben Dias | CB: Manuel Akanji | LB: Josko Gvardiol
CM: Bernardo Silva | CM: Mateo Kovacic
RW: Phil Foden | AM: Kevin de Bruyne | LW: Omar Marmoush
CF: Erling Haaland
Stats:
Manchester City are aiming to win the eighth FA Cup in their history, and their third under Pep Guardiola. Crystal Palace have never won the competition, having lost two finals to Manchester United.
Crystal Palace have defeated Manchester City only thrice (in 23 games) over the last decade, with their most recent victory coming in 2021.
City are on a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions, while Palace haven't been defeated in their five games.
Eze has scored five goals in his last four games for Palace, while Erling Haaland had scored in four consecutive games before his injury.
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