Predicted Starting XI: Chelsea vs Manchester City (FA Cup Final) | OneFootball

Under the arch at Wembley, with silverware on the line, Pep Guardiola and his side stand just one game away from completing a domestic double as they prepare to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Wednesday night saw Manchester City continue their relentless pursuit of the Premier League title with a commanding 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.

The result marked back-to-back 3-0 league wins for the Blues, keeping the pressure firmly on leaders Arsenal, who remain just two points clear with two games left to play.

It was Antoine Semenyo who opened the scoring, netting his 16th Premier League goal of the season in style. A sublime backheel from Phil Foden split the Palace defence, allowing the forward to race through and calmly slot beyond the goalkeeper in the 32nd minute.

City doubled their advantage just eight minutes later. Once again, Foden was at the heart of the move, picking out Omar Marmoush inside the box. The Egyptian forward finished confidently from a tight angle to score in consecutive matches and continue his fine run of form heading into Wembley.

To round off another polished attacking display, Savinho latched onto a deft through ball from Rayan Cherki before coolly applying the finish.

The goal pushed City’s goal difference one ahead of Arsenal’s, a potentially decisive advantage should the title race go down to the final day. Guardiola’s side will feel they have done everything possible to keep themselves in the chase.

Perhaps just as important as the result itself was Guardiola’s ability to carefully manage his squad ahead of the final. With Wembley looming large on the horizon, several of City’s key figures were afforded valuable rest.

While some questioned the extent of the rotation, Chelsea arrive having enjoyed a full week without action, and with the Premier League title race still alive, prioritising freshness for the cup final always felt the logical decision.

Chelsea’s most recent outing ended in a 1-1 draw against reigning champions Liverpool. Having won just one of their last six matches, confidence in the London camp may not be at its peak, though taking points from one of the league’s strongest sides should provide a timely injection of belief ahead of Saturday’s match.

The two sides last met in January, when Chelsea struck late to deny City a crucial victory in dramatic fashion. If recent meetings are anything to go by, the stage is set for another gripping chapter between two of English football’s biggest clubs.

Here’s how we predict Manchester City will lineup for this Saturday’s FA Cup final! 

Starting XI

James Trafford has produced some world class performances in Manchester City’s cup runs this season and he’ll be desperate to add a second piece of silverware to his name in just his first season back at the club. 

Amid growing speculation surrounding his future, a successful end to both cup runs could yet play an important role in convincing the young goalkeeper that his long-term future remains at Manchester City.

Matheus Nunes was withdrawn in the 52nd minute of Wednesday night’s game, suggesting that his role in the starting lineup is all but confirmed. 

Nunes has been immense this season across all competitions, turning the general consensus from one of negativity to overwhelming positivity. 

The FA Cup final feels like the perfect opportunity to give City legend John Stones his final start in sky blue. Stones captained the Blues in their semi-final win against Southampton and a game of this magnitude would be perfect to cap off an illustrious nine season spell in Manchester. 

Partnering Stones, Nathan Ake has wound back the years in recent months and looks close to his very best once again. You could make the argument that any one of Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi or Josko Gvardiol deserve to start, and you’d be well within reason to, but it’s Nathan Ake’s experience that makes him the perfect candidate to play in a game of this scale. 

Nico O’Reilly was left out of Wednesday’s matchday squad entirely with no reports of injury, it stands to reason that he’ll be one of the first names on the team sheet for this one. 

O’Reilly was made for the biggest of matches with an array of impressive performances in must win games. His two goals in this season’s Carabao Cup final serve as the perfect example of why City fans have fallen in love with the 21-year-old over the last two seasons, and everyone will be hoping for more of the same.

Nico Gonzalez’s wonder strike propelled Manchester City to the final and his shock absence from the squad for the Crystal Palace match surely signals that he’ll be called upon once again for this one. 

Nico has struggled for game time since Rodri’s return from injury, perhaps unfairly, but with Rodri unavailable Gonzalez could be the key in winning a very tough midfield battle on Saturday. 

Big matches require big characters, so who better to start than Bernardo Silva? 

This will be Bernardo’s final trip to Wembley with City and with more trophies to his name in the last ten years than most clubs, there is no one better to lead the team out for this one.

Rayan Cherki has enjoyed a magnificent first season in Manchester having won the first trophy of his professional career already, he now has the opportunity to add a second.

Cherki made his appearance off the bench on Wednesday night allowing the France international some much needed rest, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing yet another assist. Phil Foden put forward a man of the match performance and may  fully deserve to start in the midfield, but after the season Cherki has had it’s hard to see him missing out.

The right wing spot is one of the trickier ones to pick for this one. With Semenyo, Savinho and Foden all playing on Wednesday, and all contributing to the goals. Based on his performance on Wednesday you’d have to say Phil Foden is deserving of another start in this one. 

Having seemingly lacked in confidence in the latter parts of this season, being given a start in the FA Cup final would be a huge boost.

Erling Haaland was among those rested for the Crystal Palace fixture, a scary prospect for anyone tasked with facing him. 

Haaland is yet to score in a final for Manchester City, a stat that he’ll be hoping to put to bed on Saturday afternoon. He has been in brilliant form recently, contributing all over the pitch, no doubt Saturday’s match will see more of the same from him. 

Jeremy Doku also made his appearance off the bench on Wednesday. He has been electrifying every time he’s set foot on the pitch this season. Chelsea’s full backs will have to be on high alert if they are to have any hope of stopping the Belgian, after all it was his goal that started the comeback in the semi final against Southampton.

Starting XI: Trafford; Nunes, Stones, Ake, O’Reilly; Nico, Silva, Cherki; Foden, Haaland, Doku

Substitutes: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Reijnders, Kovacic, Semenyo, Savinho