FA CUP FINAL PREVIEW: CAN CHELSEA SPOIL PEP’S DAY?

It’s the 145th FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon between two teams who have been frequent visitors to Wembley in recent times. This will be Manchester City’s fifth FA Cup final under Pep Guardiola’s management while Chelsea have been in the FA Cup final 11 times since 1997. So both are well used to FA Cup final conditions!

Naturally, Manchester City, who are still competing for the Premier League title and are fresh from their League Cup triumph over Arsenal in March, will come into the game as comfortable favourites.

Which is shown in their current 8/11 price to win the match in 90 minutes and their 4/11 price to lift the trophy with CopyBet.

Chelsea though, who are 3/1 to win the match over 90 minutes and 19/10 to win the trophy with CopyBet, may feel that their ability to raise their level for cup competitions could play into their hands.

It seems like a very long time ago now but the last time Chelsea were in a major final (cue contagious giggling for calling the Club World Cup a major trophy) they beat a seemingly unbeatable PSG side 3-0. Cole Palmer was the star that day and Chelsea will likely need their talisman and former City player to far outperform his recent level if they are to win their first FA Cup in 8 years.

Meanwhile for City, this season has seen star Erling Haaland be surrounded by a stellar supporting cast, with the likes of Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Nico O’Reilly all shining brightly this season. Some heavy fixture congestion led to some classic ‘Pep Roulette’ rotation in their recent 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, so you would expect City to now field their strongest side at Wembley.

Can Chelsea raise their game to take on Pep’s best?

Follow all the FA Cup final action on CopyBet to find out.

Odds correct at the time of writing.