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FA Cup final preview: Manchester City vs Manchester United – where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups, form guide

Wembley Stadium forms the backdrop for a blockbuster FA Cup showpiece between Manchester City and Manchester United on Saturday, June 3.

A behemoth clash between fierce cross-city rivals beneath the iconic Wembley arch kicks off at 3.00 pm (BST), with football’s oldest prize up for grabs. 

Man United avenged a disastrous 6-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in October with a comeback 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in mid-January, suggesting this encounter could go either way. 

Where to watch the FA Cup final on TV?

Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the FA Cup final on BBC Sport Web, STV Scotland, ITVX, BBC iPlayer, BBC One, ITV 1 UK, STV Player and UTV, while ESPN+ have the TV rights in the United States. 

As for supporters from other countries, if you’re interested in watching the game online, you can check out live FA Cup streams here.

What do you need to know?

Manchester City

Despite lagging behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings for most of the season, Man City eventually steamrolled to a third consecutive top-flight title with two games to spare. 

Since taking charge of the club in 2016, manager Pep Guardiola has won 12 major domestic titles, yet only one came in the FA Cup, courtesy of a 6-0 demolition of Watford in the 2018/19 final. 

That was the Cityzens’s sixth triumph in England’s most prestigious cup competition, which is only good for a joint-seventh place in the all-time list of winners. 

Man City have been victorious in six of their 11 appearances in the FA Cup final, though it’s worth noting Saturday’s encounter will mark only their fourth foray into the title-deciding fixture in the 21st century.

Winning the Wembley showpiece would bring Guardiola one step away from equalling Sir Alex Ferguson’s iconic treble with Man Utd in 1998/99 ahead of their Champions League final against Inter Milan.

Manchester United

Erik ten Hag’s first season at Man United has already seen the club end a six-year title drought by beating Newcastle United 2-0 in the League Cup final in February. 

In addition to helping the Red Devils add another piece of silverware to their glittering trophy cabinet, the Dutch manager guided them straight back into next season’s Champions League after a year-long absence. 

Ten Hag has set his sights on another domestic success after leading United to their first appearance in the FA Cup final since a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in 2017/18.

As the second-most successful team in the competition behind Arsenal (14), Man Utd boast 12 FA Cup trophies, though they’ve also lost a joint-high eight title deciders. 

United’s last FA Cup triumph dates back to 2016, when Louis van Gaal led them to a 2-1 extra-time win over Crystal Palace. 

Possible Starting Line-ups

Manchester City (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; John Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundo?an, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia; Casemiro, Christian Eriksen; Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Marcus Rashford.

Form Guide

Manchester City

Man City slipped to a late 1-0 loss to Brentford on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season, relinquishing a jaw-dropping 25-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. 

Form (all competitions, most recent first): LDWWWDWWWW

Where they stand: Premier League champions, Champions League final.

Manchester United

A come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Fulham to cap off a decent league campaign marked Man Utd’s fourth consecutive victory following a disappointing run of back-to-back defeats in early May. 

Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWWLLWDWL

Where they stand: 3rd in Premier League, League Cup winners.

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