Ilkay Gundogan makes bold score prediction for Manchester City vs Manchester United FA Cup Final | OneFootball

Manchester City’s legendary former captain Ilkay Gundogan has issued his score prediction for the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon.

The Germany international midfielder was the star of the show for the most part of the business end of last season, scoring vital goals across competitions to guide Manchester City to a history-defining campaign.

Operating as Manchester City captain for the course of the season, it was Gundogan who scored an outstanding brace at Wembley Stadium to secure the club their second FA Cup title under Pep Guardiola.

One of those goals came within the opening 13 seconds of the match through a volley from the edge of the Manchester United penalty area, before a similar strike into the opposite corner of the goal would regain their lead in the second-half.

As Manchester City take on their bitter city rivals once again at the same stage of the competition this weekend, Ilkay Gundogan has been keen to show his support for his former teammates and club.

Speaking to ManCity.com ahead of the game, Gundogan has not only revealed he will be watching the game, but also issued his score prediction that will see Manchester City come out on top in the derby FA Cup final for the second season running.

“Will I be watching? Absolutely. Barcelona play Sevilla the following evening,” Gundogan said. “The fact that City can win the Double for the second time in a row is an incredible story. My guess is that City will take the momentum of the league title and beat United 2-0.”

He continued, “The 2023 FA Cup final will always be high on the list of favourite moments, that’s for certain. We created history by beating our biggest rivals in that iconic stadium to win one of the most prestigious trophies in world football.

“We obviously knew how important this game was for the fans, too, and that was definitely something we talked about before the game. As I say, to celebrate with our fans after the match is something that will stay with me forever.

“It was a very special day for all of us, but also exciting because we knew we had one final to go to create history.”

Across a memorable seven-season spell with Manchester City, Ilkay Gundogan established himself as one of the most instrumental players of the Pep Guardiola era, having also become one of the first signings made by the Catalan at the Etihad Stadium.

Registering 304 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City, Gundogan scored 60 goals from a variety of roles in central midfield, winning 14 trophies in the process – taking home every single available honour to the club during that time.