Manchester City vs Manchester United – Route to the 2024 FA Cup final | OneFootball

Wembley Stadium forms the backdrop for a repeat of last term’s all-Manchester FA Cup showpiece between Manchester City and Manchester United.

As was the case last season when the final kicked off at 3.00 pm (BST) for the first time in 12 years, both teams agreed to replicate the identical kick-off time on Saturday due to police advice.

Erik ten Hag has an account to settle with Pep Guardiola after a 2-1 defeat in last season’s title decider denied him a cup double in his maiden campaign at Old Trafford.

However, there’s more than just vengeance at stake as the under-pressure Dutchman’s future hinges on steering Man Utd to their 13th FA Cup title.

The task awaiting the 54-year-old is nothing short of Herculean as the four-time consecutive Premier League champions stand on the other side, craving an eighth title in football’s oldest cup competition.

Man City defeated West Ham United 3-1 on the final Premier League day last weekend to make history and set themselves up nicely for the upcoming showdown.

Where to watch the FA Cup final on TV?

Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the FA Cup final on BBC and ITV, while the broadcast rights in the United States belong to ESPN and ESPN+.

If you want to watch the game, check out the FA Cup broadcast partners on the FA’s official website or find live FA Cup streams here.

Manchester City’s route to the final

Not since Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in 2013/14 and 2014/15 has anyone defended the FA Cup title. But if there’s a side capable of matching that feat, it’s Man City.

It’s been a straightforward campaign for the reigning holders, commencing with a 5-0 rout of second-tier Huddersfield Town in the third round.

Next to fall was Tottenham Hotspur, although Guardiola’s high-flyers had to wait until Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute winner to claim a narrow 1-0 victory in London.

A fifth-round tie against Premier League relegation boys Luton Town was another day in the office for Erling Braut Haaland, who netted five goals to inspire the Cityzens to a scintillating 6-2 win at Kenilworth Road.

Newcastle United were supposed to put Man City through a world of trouble in the quarter-finals. Instead, they bowed down at the Etihad Stadium, succumbing to a comfortable 2-0 defeat.

The last obstacle between City and their 13th appearance in the FA Cup final was tricky as Chelsea stood firm at Wembley, only for Bernardo Silva to break the deadlock in the 84th minute.

Manchester United’s route to the final

Like Man City, United’s FA Cup journey started in the third round with a clear-cut 2-0 victory against League One outfit Wigan Athletic at the Brick Community Stadium.

A fourth-round clash against fourth-tier Newport County had all the makings of another routine task for the second-most frequent FA Cup winners, but it wasn’t like that.

Ten Hag’s charges squandered a two-goal cushion before Antony and Rasmus Hojlund scored beyond the hour mark to seal United’s landslide 4-2 triumph at Rodney Parade.

Not until the fifth round did Man Utd have to worry about the challenges presented by fellow Premier League rivals when Nottingham Forest nearly took the tie to a second-leg repeat.

However, Casemiro’s late heroics settled a fiercely contested fixture at the City Ground as United squeezed past the season-long bottom-half strugglers 1-0.

The Brazilian’s 89th-minute winner foreshadowed drama in the upcoming matches, with a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against Liverpool keeping the Old Trafford faithful on the edge of their seats.

After a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw in regulation time, Amad Diallo won over the hearts of United fans with a match-winning strike in the 121st minute to hand the Red Devils a memorable 4-3 win.

When Man Utd faced Coventry City at Wembley in the semi-finals, everyone thought it would be a hammering.

With Ten Hag’s side 3-0 up in the 58th minute, it looked like a walk in the park, only for the Sky Blues to score three unanswered goals beyond the 70th minute and take the game to penalties.

United came off better in the shootout to book a second consecutive final date against Man City, reaching a record-breaking 22nd FA Cup title decider.

Prediction

They say lighting doesn’t strike twice, but in this case, it looks inevitable.

Man City are in far better shape despite Man Utd’s 2-0 win at out-of-sorts Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

Guardiola has beaten Ten Hag in four of their five meetings in the Manchester derby, including victories in both Premier League encounters this season.

The writing is on the wall for United, and it’s only natural to assume that Man City will pour more misery on the Red Devils after the club’s lowest finish in the Premier League era.