FA Cup Final 2025: Everything casual fans need to know before kick-off | OneFootball

Setting the stage: What makes the FA Cup Final special

The FA Cup was first held in 1871. What makes it one of the most beloved tournaments is the upsets. A fairly recent and historic example came in the 2013 final when Wigan Athletic, who had been relegated from the Premier League, had a last-minute upset over Manchester City.

Winning the final represents a pivotal moment in players’ careers, as the game is played at the historic Wembley Stadium. For the fans, moments like Wigan upsetting City bring an intense experience of never knowing what will happen and when.

Now, on May 17, 2025, the 2025 FA Cup will be played.

Who’s playing: Quick look at the Finalists

Manchester City and Crystal Palace are the two teams aspiring to climb the steps at Wembley and lift the coveted FA Cup. Looking at the FA Cup odds from Gambling.com, Manchester City are a shoe-in to get their hands on the trophy, being heavy favourites at 2/5.

In the semi-finals, Crystal Palace defeated Aston Villa 3-0, and Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0.

Crystal Palace are in their third FA Cup final and first under manager Oliver Glasner. One of their best players is midfielder Eberechi Eze. During the 2024/25 Premier League season, he has started 28 games and has four goals and eight assists to his name.

Additionally, there’s striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, who’s played 33 games (30 starts) and has a respectable tally of 14 goals. Other players to know are centre-back Marc Guéhi, centre-back Chris Richards, and winger Michael Olise.

Manchester City has seven FA Cup wins in its history. This line-up is littered with stars, including Erling Haaland – coming off an ankle injury in the quarter-final win over Bournemouth – with 21 goals during the Premier League season. There’s also Rodri, but his status is unknown as he recovers from an ACL injury.

Key storylines to watch

As mentioned, City is seeking their eighth FA Cup, while Crystal Palace is appearing in their third ever and have never won an FA Cup. While Palace has some star players like Eze, this is still a ‘David vs Goliath’ style match-up when looking at the history of these squads.

Speaking of Eze and another star in Guéhi, this could be their final time suiting up for Crystal Palace, as they’re expected to receive some big-money transfer bids this summer.

While the history surrounding Manchester City is notable, they’ve fallen short in the Premier League and Champions League this season, so this could be a chance to add some hardware.

Predictions: Who has the edge?

The conversation surrounding Crystal Palace has been their 3-4-3 formation. This means they use three defenders, four midfielders, and three attackers. This team is excellent at counter-attacking, moving up-field quickly after getting the ball from their opponent.

Eze and Olise help set up scoring opportunities for players while Guéhi defends.

Crystal Palace has no injuries to note.

For Manchester City, Erling Haaland is recovering from an ankle injury during first-team training, while Ballon D’Or winner Rodri’s status is uncertain as he is in the latter stages of recovering from an ACL injury.

This squad passes quickly and has excellent movement. They’re great at controlling the ball and setting up opportune times to shoot. This helps set up Haaland incredibly well to attack opponents.

Sometimes, though, Manchester City can get a bit pass-happy and not score as much as fans would like to see.

Overall, City has the edge and Guardiola’s team has the star power that Crystal Palace shouldn’t be able to match, especially if Haaland and Rodri suit up. Crystal Palace needs to hope they draw first blood. If that happens, an upset is possible and as mentioned before, Manchester City are no strangers to an FA Cup final upset.

How to watch the FA Cup Final

Here’s how to watch the 2025 FA Cup on Saturday, May 17:

This is when the match will begin in local time:

Final thoughts: Why you shouldn’t miss it

Whether you watch football often or this is your first time, we can all agree that a good underdog story is worth tuning into. In the case of the 2025 FA Cup, that underdog is certainly Crystal Palace.

They have some notable stars, but this is a squad looking for their first-ever FA Cup, while Manchester City is the big-time club with seven under their belts. If Haaland and Rodri suit up, there will be stars all over the field, including Eze, Mateta, Guéhi, Richards, and Olise.

Are you excited for the 2025 FA Cup? Did you like what you read here? Share this article, comment below with your predictions, and check back to Gambling.com regularly for the latest gambling insights, news, and analysis.

Our final prediction is Manchester City will come away with a 3-2 win.