Ake, Stones and Kovacic return as City make three changes for FA Cup final | OneFootball

City boss Pep Guardiola makes three changes for Saturday’s eagerly awaited 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley.

John Stones, Nathan Ake and Mateo Kovacic all come into the starting eleven from the side which secured a 3-1 win over West Ham last Sunday to secure a historic fourth straight men’s Premier League title.

Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Jeremy Doku all move to the substitutes' bench from the team that kicked off against Hammers.

With Ederson out for the season with a fractured eye socket, Stefan Ortega Moreno retains his position in goal.

In what is the first-ever all-English repeat of an FA Cup final, City will step out at Wembley seeking to emulate our triumph of 12 months ago when we beat United 2-1 en route to the Treble.

Teams

CITY XI: Ortega Moreno, Walker (C), Stones, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Haaland

Subs: Carson, Dias, Grealish, Doku, Alvarez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis

UNITED XI: To follow.

Subs: To follow.

Tactics

Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno has been a mainstay of City’s march to Wembley, playing every second of the way and the impressive German goalkeeper lines up between the sticks once more this afternoon.

He will be a shielded by a back four of skipper Kyle Walker, Stones, Ake and Josko Gvardiol.

WATCH: City v United: This is Manchester

Rodrigo will act as the holding midfield anchor with Kevin De Bruyne and Mateo Kovacic also operating in the crucial engine room.

Erling Haaland, fresh from winning a second successive Premier League Golden Boot, will be the familiar attacking spearhead with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden also set to form part of City’s attacking triumvirate.

Though, of course, such is City’s tactic flexibility and fluidity that could well change as the afternoon unfolds.

History beckons

Manchester City have become accustomed to rewriting the record books under the inspired leadership of manager Pep Guardiola.

From the Centurions campaign of the 100 Premier League points we achieved in 2017/18, our Fourmidables season of 2018/19 and our incredible Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup Treble of last term, City have secured an array of hugely significant milestones over recent years.

Last Sunday’s momentous achievement of English football’s first-ever fourth straight men’s top-flight title only served to help further establish Guardiola’s City as pioneers in excellence.

Now, in the final match of what has been a truly memorable 2023/24 campaign, City have the chance to create yet another notable first.

For no other side in the long and memorable history of English football has achieved the feat of recording back-to-back Doubles.

It’s also the first time two English sides have met in back-to-back to back Cup finals in the history of the famous competitions which stretches all the way back to 1871/72.

WATCH: Stat Attack: 2024 FA Cup final

The only other time two sides met in successive finals was in 1884 and 1885 when Blackburn Rovers met Scottish side Queen’s Park.

On those occasions Rovers prevailed in both finals – let’s hope that’s an omen this afternoon!

The four tops?

City will go into the game on the back of a stunning 35 game unbeaten run in all competitions, a Club record.

Today also marks the culmination of a season that has seen Pep Guardiola’s side already secure three pieces of major silverware.

Last August we won the UEFA Super Cup, beating Sevilla 5-4 on a penalty shoot-out in Athens after the sides had drawn 1-1 over 90 minutes and extra time.

That was followed in late December by City being crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions as we overcame the challenge of Brazilian side Fluminense 4-0 in the final staged in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A third trophy duly followed last Sunday at a packed and joyous Etihad as City beat West Ham 3-1 to secure a fourth successive Premier League title.

Now comes the final assignment of another marathon 58-game campaign – and a chance to finish on another all-time high by claiming the FA Cup and so secure a fourth major trophy of the season.

What an incentive…

WATCH: Guardiola: The mood is really, really high

Stats and facts

● This match is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup final, where City beat Manchester United 2-1 to complete the second part of their league title, FA Cup and Champions League treble. It’s the second time in FA Cup history the same fixture has been played in the final in consecutive years, after Blackburn Rovers vs Queen’s Park in 1884 and 1885.

● City have won both Premier League meetings with Manchester United this season, beating them 3-0 at Old Trafford and 3-1 at the Etihad. The last time we beat our neighbours three times in the same campaign was in 1969-70.

● Manchester United have lost six of their last seven meetings with City in all competitions (W1), including each of the last three in a row. They last lost four consecutively against us between 2013 and 2014.

● Manchester United have won five of their last seven FA Cup games against City. However, both defeats in that run have come in games at Wembley Stadium (2011 semi-final, 2023 final).

● City could complete the league title and FA Cup double for the third time, something only previously achieved by Manchester United (1993-94, 1995-96 and 1998-99) and Arsenal (1970-71, 1997-98 and 2001-02). We did so in 2018-19 and 2022-23, and thus could become the first ever team to do so in consecutive campaigns.

● Manchester United finished eighth in the Premier League this season, the lowest ranked side to play in the FA Cup final since Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in 2020. There have been six previous occasions of a side finishing eighth or lower facing that season’s champions in the showpiece – Aston Villa (10th) beat Manchester United 2-1 in 1957, but since then such sides have lost all five finals by an aggregate score of 15-0.

● Manchester United are looking to win the FA Cup for the 13th time, something only Arsenal (14) have ever done more. However, the Red Devils have failed to win the trophy in four of their last five final appearances, with the exception coming in 2016 against Crystal Palace under Louis van Gaal (2-1).

● City are aiming to win the FA Cup for the eighth time and for the first time ever in consecutive years. Meanwhile, Manchester United have lost the showpiece in consecutive years once before, doing so in 1957 (vs Aston Villa) and 1958 (vs Bolton).

● City are unbeaten in our last 35 matches in all competitions (W29 D6) – it’s the second longest run by a top-flight club in English football history, after Nottingham Forest’s run of 40 in 1978.

● Manchester United have lost 19 games and conceded 84 goals in all competitions this season. They last lost 20 in a campaign in 1973-74 (22) and last conceded more than 84 in 1963-64 (89).

● City have won each of our last 11 matches in the FA Cup; excluding byes and void games, there have only been two longer winning runs in the competition’s history – Blackburn Rovers (20 between 1883 and 1886) and Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).

● Manchester United beat Liverpool 4-3 in the FA Cup quarter-final and drew 3-3 with Coventry City in the semi-final; the Red Devils had only conceded 3+ goals in two of their previous 111 matches in the competition combined, while they’ve never done so in three consecutive games.

● With City boss Pep Guardiola and Man Utd’s Erik Ten Hag meeting in the showpiece last year, this is the first time a pair of league managers has gone head-to-head in more than one FA Cup final (excluding replays).

● City’s Phil Foden has been involved in 10 goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, scoring nine and assisting one. He’s also netted six goals in his last five games against Manchester United, while only against Brighton (8) has he scored more career goals than his six against the Red Devils.

● City’s Erling Haaland is the top scoring Premier League player in all competitions this season with 38 goals. He netted 52 times last season and could become the first Premier League player to score 40+ in consecutive campaigns.

● Erling Haaland has been involved in nine goals in five appearances against Manchester United in all competitions (6 goals, 3 assists), more than he has against any other side as a City player.

● Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot for Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup final. He could become the fifth Manchester United player to score in the showpiece in two different years, after Bryan Robson (1983 and 1990), Norman Whiteside (1983 and 1985), Mark Hughes (1990 and 1994) and Eric Cantona (1994 and 1996).

● City’s Kevin De Bruyne has assisted three goals in FA Cup finals, setting up Gabriel Jesus in 2019 and both of Ilkay Gündogan’s strikes last season. No player on record (since 1962) has provided more assists in FA Cup finals than the Belgian (Olivier Giroud also three).● Both Phil Foden and Erling Haaland scored for City in both Premier League meetings with Manchester United this season; in Manchester derby history, only two players have ever scored in three separate meetings within the same season, with Dennis Viollet (1956-57) and Paul Scholes (2003-04) both doing so for the Red Devils.