City make five changes for 2025 FA Cup final | OneFootball

City boss Pep Guardiola has made five changes for Saturday’s 2025 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

Stefan Ortega, Nico O’Reilly, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Jeremy Doku all come into the starting line-up for the Wembley showpiece.

From the side that began last weekend’s goalless draw away to Southampton, Ederson and Phil Foden all revert to the bench.

Mateo Kovacic (injury), Rico Lewis and James McAtee are absent from the matchday squad but Claudio Echeverri is named amongst the substitutes.

Teams

CITY XI: Ortega, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Bernardo, De Bruyne (C), Savinho, Marmoush, Doku, Haaland

Subs: Ederson, Grealish, Nico, Gundogan, Reis, Nunes, Echeverri, Khusanov, Foden

PALACE: Henderson, Munoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi (C), Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Eze, Mateta

Subs: Turner, Ward, Lerma, Nketiah, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny

Likely formation and tactics

Stefan Ortega will be the figure in goal and shielded by a back four of Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly.

Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo are set to operate in the City engine room.

Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush and Savinho will be deployed further forward with Erling Haaland set to be City’s striking focal point.

However such is City tactical and technical flexibility under Pep, those positions could well be subject to change as the afternoon wears on!

WATCH: Crystal Palace v City: Wembley awaits…

Four tops?

This will be KDB’s fourth – and final – FA Cup final appearance with Manchester City.

The brilliant Belgian, who is departing this summer after 10 magnificent years at the Club, captains the side today and will be looking to help round off what has been an magnificent decade with another piece of silverware.

KDB also has previous in terms of making a key impact on one of the biggest stages of all.

He’s been involved in four goals in his previous three final matches, scoring one and assisting three.

What price another piece of De Bruyne magic this afternoon?

WATCH: Every goal in City's journey to the FA Cup final

Up for the Cup

It’s a third FA Cup final appearance in a row for City with the Blues seeking to lift the famous trophy for what would be the eighth time in our history.

Today’s appearance also marks the 21st time City have played at Wembley under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola.

That remarkable statistic – which also includes a record-breaking run of seven successive FA Cup semi-finals - bears testament to the hunger, desire and sheer consistency that has been the hallmark of City in the Cup under the Catalan.

Victory would also make it a second piece of Wembley silverware this term following last August’s Community Shield victory against Manchester United and take Pep’s tally of major silverware in his near nine years at the Club to an astonishing 19.

It would also serve as the perfect pre-cursor to next Tuesday’s final Etihad encounter of the season – a huge Premier League clash with Bournemouth which will also serve as our home farewell to Kevin De Bruyne.

No lack on extra incentive for the Blues then!

WATCH: City's best moments in FA Cup finals

Match stats

• City are competing in our 14th FA Cup final. We’ve won the trophy seven times, behind only Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham (8 each).

• Crystal Palace are competing in their third FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in both 1990 and 2016. They’re one of four clubs to compete in two finals without ever winning the trophy along with Queen’s Park (1884 & 1885), Birmingham City (1931 & 1956) and Watford (1984 & 2019).

• City lost the 2024 FA Cup final 2-1 against Manchester United. Only once before have we lost consecutive appearances in major domestic finals (FA Cup/League Cup), losing the 1926 and 1933 FA Cup showpieces against Bolton and Everton respectively.

• City have won our last three FA Cup meetings with Crystal Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4. The most recent meeting was in the fourth round in 2016-17, with the Citizens winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

• City are unbeaten in our last seven meetings with Crystal Palace in all competitions (W4 D3), since a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in October 2021.

• Both teams have scored 2+ goals in each of the last four meetings between Crystal Palace and Man City, with two 2-2 draws, and 4-2 and 5-2 victories for the Citizens. The last time two top-flight clubs both scored 2+ goals in five consecutive meetings was between 1975 and 1977 (Derby vs Newcastle).

• None of City’s last 44 games in the FA Cup have been drawn (W38 D6). Five of the Citizens’ six defeats in that run have come at Wembley Stadium.

• Crystal Palace have conceded just one goal in the 2024-25 FA Cup so far, while they’ve scored exactly three goals in their fifth round, quarter-final and semi-final victories this term.

• City manager Pep Guardiola has won the FA Cup twice (2019, 2023) and the League Cup four times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). He could become the second manager to win both major English domestic competitions 3+ times after Alex Ferguson (5x FA Cup, 4x League Cup).

• Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is set to be the first Austrian to take charge of a team in the FA Cup final. The last two ‘new’ manager nationalities in the showpiece have lost, with Germany’s Thomas Tuchel going down against Leicester in 2021, and Israel’s Avram Grant losing to Chelsea in 2010.

• Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah has been involved in a goal in each of his last three FA Cup appearances (2 goals, 1 assist), all as a substitute. He’s also won the FA Cup once before, playing eight minutes from the bench in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in 2020.

• City’s Nico O’Reilly has had a hand in five goals in this season’s FA Cup (3 goals, 2 assists) – only Josh Magennis (6) has had a hand in more in the competition proper this term.

• Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze has been involved in four goals in his last four games in the FA Cup (3 goals, 1 assist), putting them 1-0 up in their semi-final win against Aston Villa. He hadn’t registered a single goal or assist in any of his first 14 appearances in the competition.