In this article…
Man City v Man United
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Kick Off: Saturday 25th May at 15:00
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Competition: FA Cup Final
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Watch Live: BBC One
The English football season is drawing to a close with the FA Cup final between Man City and Man United the first of two huge games at Wembley Stadium this weekend.
We will have all the best football tips and predictions for the upcoming games and as always we’ll be covering this game through our usual range of FA Cup betting tips here on Andy’s Bet Club. Our over 2.5 goals tips are worth dipping into for some alternative angles this weekend.
We have also tracked all the best free bet offers, best bet builder bookmakers and kept up to date on the best odds boosts to ensure our readers are getting the best value for money.
For the second consecutive year, rivals Manchester City and Manchester United will descend on London’s Wembley Stadium to contest the FA Cup final and most observers expect Saturday’s showpiece showdown to be a one-sided affair.
For Pep Guardiola’s City, both silverware and another piece of history are on offer. Having just clinched an unprecedented fourth Premier League title on the spin, the Cityzens can become the first English club ever to win the double in successive seasons.
United meanwhile, will be aiming to finish a bleak campaign on a massive high and alongside securing qualification to the Europa League, and it is likely to be Erik ten Hag’s last game at the helm.
Man City v Man United Best Bets
Unsurprisingly, Man City are short-priced favourites at 1.30 to beat rivals United at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and it’s difficult to see past the double-chasing Cityzens in London.
To massage odds in your favour, it could be worth looking into a combination market by backing Man City to win & over 2.5 goals at 1.73. Pep Guardiola’s champions cut through the United defence with ease in the teams’ Premier League encounters earlier in the campaign, racking up over 40 attempts, 7.30 in combined xGF and scoring six times in two comfortable wins, and a repeat performance in the cup final looks possible.
In the individual markets, Manchester Derby specialist Phil Foden could have the keys to unlock the United defence again. The 24-year-old had an eye-watering nine attempts when he last faced the Red Devils in March, four of which were accurate, so backing Foden to have 2+ shots on target at 2.0 appears an attractive option here.
Foden also has serious credentials for a goal contribution against United for the third time in as many Manchester Derbies this season and you can back Phil Foden to score or assist at 1.83.
📂 Man City v Man United Cheat Sheet
There are so many ways to use our Cheat Sheets and we encourage you to find your own formula to pick a winning bet builder, however, if you’re unsure of how to use a Cheat Sheet, just click the link for some quick tips to help you make the most of it.
You can find match stats for every televised game across Europe’s biggest leagues on my bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off.
⚔️ Man City v Man United Head-to-Head
Manchester City have already exerted their derby dominance over rivals Man Utd twice this season completely outclassing their underperforming neighbours both home and away in the Premier League either side of Christmas.
When the teams last met at the Etihad Stadium in early March, City fell behind early when Marcus Rashford lashed home a thunderbolt from range, though the champions recovered to win 3-1.
Rashford’s early effort was one of only three attempts mustered by United in the blue half of Manchester, while City clocked 27 shots, lodged an xGF of 3.30 and won a whopping 15 corners to their visitors’ two.
It was one-way traffic at the Etihad and the tale of the tape was similar in October when City won the reverse fixture 3-0 at Old Trafford.
The Cityzens needed some assistance from VAR to set them on their way with a controversial first half penalty, however, that opener sparked a procession and City dominated performance metrics across the board again, enjoying more possession (60.5%-39.5%), having more shots (21-7), winning more corners (12-7) and lodging a far healthier xGF (4.00-0.90).
Erling Haaland has become a derby day specialist since signing for City, netting a hat-trick on his Manchester Derby debut in October 2022 and hitting another three goals in four appearances past the Red Devils since.
The Norwegian’s wingman, Phil Foden, has also taken pleasure in sticking the boot in on City’s rivals, netting six Manchester Derby goals over the last two seasons.
Last year’s edition of the FA Cup final is best remembered for Ilkay Gundogan’s record-breaking 13-second deadlock breaker, although a relatively even contest developed thereafter with United mustering more shots and creating more big chances than the winners.
📊 Man City Form and Stats
Manchester City landed their tenth English title in routine fashion on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign with a comfortable 3-1 win over West Ham and the champions were helped on their way by a Phil Foden brace inside 20 minutes.
The 23-year-old has been virtually unplayable this year and his haul of 27 goals and 11 assists in all competitions represents a career-best tally for a single season for the England starlet.
City’s triumph over West Ham was their ninth Premier League victory on the spin and their 18th win in 21 top-flight fixtures overall since Boxing Day. Indeed, City’s only defeat in their last 35 matches in all competitions came in their penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
The Cityzens are bidding to win the FA Cup for the 8th time on Saturday and their only defeat in that competition since January 2022 came in a 3-2 semi-final loss to Liverpool after Guardiola chose to shuffle some of his best players out of the team.
City’s sprint finish in this season’s Premier League was powered by a remarkable output in the final third. In their last nine games, the champions plundered 33 goals, which works out at a searing average of 3.66 goals per game.
Guardiola’s defence-shredding outfit scored at least four goals in six of those games and clocked an xGF of 24.90 across the same nine assignments.
City have retained their top dog status in terms of average possession per game this season (65.4%) and a low card count has been a by-product of their control. Guardiola’s troops collected a league-low 1.44 cards per Premier League fixture in 2023/24 and they picked up just one yellow card across two derby meetings with United this term.
📊 Man United Form and Stats
The 2023/24 season will go down as an “annus horribilis” for Manchester United, though Saturday’s FA Cup final offers one last shot at salvation.
With a gargantuan injury crisis spanning nine months having a major impact, United finished bottom of their Champions League group, exited the Carabao Cup in the Last 16 and ended the Premier League season in 8th position – their lowest-ever finish in the top-flight since its rebrand in 1992.
Among their 14 defeats in the league were six losses at Old Trafford, though back-to-back wins at home to Newcastle and at Brighton in their final two outings did, at least, allow United to finish on a positive note.
With the absences of key personnel a factor, United have been in ribbons defensively and their xGA figure of 69.10 – which was the Premier League’s fifth-worst – suggests their slide could have been even more dramatic. Insanely, only bottom club Sheffield United (671) faced more shots than United (660) in the league overall.
First-choice central defensive duo, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have been in the treatment room for most of the season, though both players could be in the frame to feature on Saturday, which could allow Casemiro to move back into midfield. The Brazilian has been a disaster while filling in at the back in recent weeks.
Further forward, youngsters Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund have been the bright sparks, however, goalscoring has been another underperforming department in general and United ranked 10th for xGF in the league at the campaign’s close (56.4).
Underfire manager Erik ten Hag, who has lost four of his five meetings with Guardiola and City by an aggregate score of 15-7 since arriving in England, could be axed after Saturday’s final even if he manages to mastermind an against-the-odds victory.
The Dutchman will be hoping that United can produce the sort of chaotic performance that saw them oust Liverpool (4-3) as underdogs in the FA Cup’s quarter-finals.
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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