Manchester City

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Manchester City defender Rayan Ait-Nouri says "anything can happen" in Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea.

"It means a lot to me," he told Total Sport's Mark Crossley.

"I'm very excited to play this game against Chelsea. It will be a tough game. To play in Wembley is unbelievable, the pitch and the stadium is very big.

"To play in Wembley is amazing.

"It's a final, everything can happen in a final. Chelsea is a tough team, they have a lot of very good players. They showed in the past also. It is true this season they are not in the best form but a final is a final. Anything can happen in a final.

"We will try and play our football and we will see what happens."

It has been a mixed first season for Ait-Nouri following his move last summer from Wolves, but he could add his second trophy after the Carabao Cup and he was full of praise for the coaching of Pep Guardiola.

"I enjoy a lot," he added.

"I really enjoy to train everyday with these kind of players, with this manager. I improve a lot my weaknesses and I'm very happy to progress everyday with coaching like that.

"Guardiola has improved me in a lot of things; defensively, how I need to be positioned in the game, when I need to give the ball or go one-v-one, when I need to cross. He's improved me a lot."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

Pep rested players in midweek when City beat Crystal Palace and left Erling Haaland out, much to the annoyance of Fantasy Premier League managers.

Haaland will be back in the team at Wembley, though, and he will benefit from the rest, along with the likes of Rayan Cherki.

Chelsea have been patchy all season and if they have one of their bad days, then this could get a bit messy for them.

Sutton's prediction: 0-5

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

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The 145th FA Cup final could be Pep Guardiola's last shot at silverware as Manchester City manager.

Chelsea, in crisis for much of the campaign, stand between him and a 20th trophy with the club.

A season that promised so much has turned into a nightmare for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Enzo Maresca's departure as head coach in January triggered a tumultuous spell under Liam Rosenior, marked by significant decline in performance and professionalism among several players in the squad.

Yet under interim head coach Calum McFarlane, Chelsea edged past Leeds in the semi-finals, and last weekend's 1-1 draw at Liverpool showed signs of rekindled spirit. McFarlane was also in charge in January – in his first interim spell after Maresca's exit - when the Blues snatched a 1-1 draw at City.

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez missed the Liverpool game with concussion but could return. Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are doubts. Estevao, Jesse Derry and Jamie Gittens are all out.

As shown in the graphic below, either Chelsea or City have been involved in each of the last nine FA Cup finals. However, they have had limited success with City winning twice and Chelsea just once.

Although it would be foolish to rule out Chelsea, there is no doubt City are the big favourites.

Guardiola's side may come up just short in the Premier League title race – they are two points behind Arsenal with two games to play – but a domestic cup double is a rare feat; this would only be the sixth time this has ever happened.

City will also be keen to right the wrongs of the last two seasons, in which they've lost two FA Cup finals in timid fashion.

A year ago, they were beaten by Crystal Palace after Eberechi Eze's goal and Omar Marmoush's saved penalty. In 2024, local rivals Manchester United stunned Guardiola's side.

Guardiola, who has been linked with an end-of-season exit for much of the campaign, will not want to sign off his time at City with just a fourth major final loss with the club. After a raft of changes to the team for Wednesday's clash with Palace in the Premier League, a win under the Wembley arch now looks to be the clear priority.

However, Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri remains a doubt for the game. He has not played since the win over Arsenal on April 19.

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Chelsea fan Nina Hristova...

The FA Cup final carries huge weight for Chelsea. After yet another dismal season, it represents a chance to secure silverware, something that would go a long way in restoring confidence within the squad, and finally end what has felt like a lingering Wembley 'curse'.

However, there is a sense that Manchester City are approaching it with just as much intent. Pep Guardiola's team selection against Crystal Palace, resting key players despite the title race still being in the balance, underlined how important this competition remains to them. Even with rotation, City were still dangerous and in control, a level of squad depth and quality that Chelsea simply do not have the luxury of.

The Blues have lost their past six finals at Wembley, but City have had frustrations of their own in this competition, losing their past two FA Cup finals, which will only charge them further.

From a Chelsea supporter's perspective, confidence is low. The belief that this side can rise to the occasion in big games against elite opposition, once almost expected, has faded in recent times.

The record against City only adds to that feeling, with no victory since the 2021 Champions League final. Even at their very 'best', Chelsea have often only ever been good enough to come away with a draw.

The only real hope is that it's a final, and finals have a habit of defying form and expectation - and that's the small bit of optimism supporters will hang on to on Saturday.

For a squad packed with players yet to win major honours, winning an FA Cup could be the moment that shifts the mindset and expectations around what this group is capable of going forward.

Find more from Nina Hristova at Nina's Chelsea Corner, external

Manchester City fan Emily Brobyn...

On Saturday, attention turns to the oldest cup competition in football. It's a final that's being contested by two Premier League sides that are no strangers to lifting this piece of silverware.

Chelsea have won it eight times, City on seven occasions. But Pep Guardiola's side have made more history just by reaching the final this year. They became the first team to reach the FA Cup final in four consecutive seasons - the last time they won it was back in 2023 as part of their Treble season.

It's been a turbulent season for Chelsea. After sacking Enzo Maresca, then bringing in interim boss Calum McFarlane, the Blues appointed Liam Rosenior - to disastrous effect. McFarlane is back in charge - who, interestingly, managed to salvage a late 1-1 at the Etihad earlier in the year. Sitting in ninth place in the league, with hopes of Europe fading, an FA Cup win would really provide a much-needed boost of confidence for them.

City already have silverware in the bag, The League Cup is sitting pretty in the trophy cabinet, but would look even sweeter with an FA Cup next to it. A Premier League trophy is highly unlikely this season, with Arsenal having a two-point advantage and the easier fixtures left, but a double would be a perfect send-off for the departing Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

With rumours circling about Pep's future - could it be the last final he leads City to? Or would he want to give the Premier League another shot next season and see the final year of his contract out?

With key players rested during the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, the rotation was a strong indication of the respect Pep has for the trophy - and how much he'd love to win it again.

City have already lost the last two FA Cup finals on the spin. Losing a third? Barring an unmitigated disaster, I can't see a world in which that happens.

Emily Brobyn is regularly on BBC Radio Manchester - find all their Man City audio here

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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The Pep Stand? The Guardiola End? Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made so many trips to Wembley Stadium that he joked he feels "disappointed" by not being given any recognition at the venue.

On Saturday, the Spaniard will lead City out at the national stadium for the 24th time in a semi-final or final of an English domestic cup competition.

City won the Carabao Cup by beating Arsenal in March and are aiming to make it a double by claiming the FA Cup against Chelsea.

"I am disappointed they have not made a stand for Pep," he joked with a smile. "So many times I have been there, at least a lounge or a box or something like that. Maybe I have to go 24 more times!

"It is still a special place - since I went with Barcelona when I won the first Champions League with my club, and then against Manchester United second time as a manager."

City are competing in a record fourth consecutive FA Cup final but have been beaten in the past two by Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Guardiola add: "I have been many times since I have been here. We win, lose, win. It is really good to go to Wembley again. It's going to be a good game. Top.

"Everything is so nice. The pitch is extraordinary. Hopefully it will be a nice day."

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BBC commentator John Murray says Manchester City "are strong favourites" to win the FA Cup, but Chelsea proved they can "put in a performance" in their semi-final win against Leeds United.

The two sides will meet at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, with the Blues hoping to have a positive end to a disappointing season and City looking to continue their campaign for a domestic Treble.

"It's always a very special day in the English footballing calendar," said Murray. "A very special day.

"Let's not gloss over the fact that it shouldn't be being played before the end of the Premier League season, which has now become set in stone. It should be that the FA Cup final comes after the end of the Premier League season.

"Manchester City are strong favourites. Virtually a clean bill of health and obviously there are a lot of question marks at the moment hanging over Chelsea and where they're going what's going to happen.

"Whereas Manchester City just feel that they are in the groove. Although, I guess Pep Guardiola's got that balancing act because he obviously had the the game midweek against Crystal Palace and he's got the game at Bournemouth on Tuesday.

"They're still very much in the title race.

"They were probably strong favourites going into the final last year against Crystal, but City have lost the last two finals and only one club before has lost three successive finals, and that ironically was Chelsea.

"Chelsea have lost their last three FA Cup finals that they've been in, but they really turned up for that semi-final against Leeds United.

"So there is recent memory for those players of turning up and putting in a performance at Wembley."

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• Manchester City are the first team to play in four consecutive FA Cup finals, beating Manchester United in 2023 before losing to the Red Devils in 2024 and Crystal Palace in 2025. Only Chelsea (2020 to 2022) have ever lost the FA Cup final in three consecutive campaigns.

• Chelsea's 13-game winless run against City is their longest against an opponent since going 17 without a victory against Arsenal between January 1999 and March 2004.

• Since losing the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League final to Chelsea, City haven't lost any of their last 13 games against the Blues in all competitions (W10 D3), their longest unbeaten run against them.

• Erling Haaland is looking to score in a final for Manchester City for the first time – he has played in nine finals (including the Community Shield) and had 15 shots without success. His last goal in a final was for Borussia Dortmund against RB Leipzig in May 2021 in the German DFB Pokal, when he scored twice.

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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Manchester City players, staff and supporters will be making their 24th trip to Wembley Stadium for a domestic cup semi-final or final under Pep Guardiola on Saturday.

The FA Cup final against Chelsea will be City's third trip to the national stadium in as many month after beating Southampton in the previous round and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final in March.

City supporters were mocked for failing to sell out their allocation of tickets against the Saints, but what is the cost of attending the showpiece against Chelsea?

BBC Sport spoke to City fan Ashraf, who is heading down to London from West Yorkshire with his son, for a breakdown of his spending for the day:

• Match tickets: Category 2 - £125 for adults, £115 children;

• Train tickets: £95 (booked in advance before the semi-final);

• Taxis: £20 to and from the stadium;

• Food: £130 - two burger meals for lunch, snacks and drinks at stadium, evening meal;

• Total: £485.

In his pre-match news conference, Guardiola acknowledged the sacrifices made by supporters, saying: "The message is an FA Cup final with two prestigious clubs and with our fans, who make an incredible effort to come down to London.

"It is not cheap and we try to perform as best as possible to win."

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola confirmed there are no new injury concerns and a decision on Rodri will be made after the squad has travelled to London.

• He said he has "excitement" for City's fourth consecutive FA Cup final and is hopeful they "can do better than the last two", which they lost.

• On moving on from those defeats: "It's new players and it's forgotten. A new game against Chelsea. We are in the final and we have to try to win the trophy."

• He said he has given "zero" thought to the Bournemouth game on Tuesday and it won't impact his decision making because "it's the final of the FA Cup".

• On preparations to face Chelsea: "The message will be how we have to move, run and play to beat Chelsea. It's two prestigious clubs at Wembley. Our fans making an incredible effort to come down to London. It's not cheap."

• He said he "would have preferred" to have seven days to prepare for the final like Chelsea but "the schedule is what it is" and they have "done it in the past".

• He confirmed they haven't trained since the win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, which "is not the perfect scenario to prepare for the final" but they "are going to try" their best to win.

• On opponents Chelsea: "I saw their game against Liverpool because I like to know what the tone of the team is. They suffered the first 15-20 minutes but after that they came back. The goal from Enzo Fernandes, it was good."

Hit play above to hear more from Guardiola or listen on BBC Sounds here

Watch Saturday's FA Cup final on BBC One and iPlayer or listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.

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Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

There's something magical about those seconds before the FA Cup final kicks off. Trumpets and tin-foil trophies, players as tense as the travelling fans, gaffers pacing the dugout in full club suits. The anticipation of a new hero emerging.

Some goals, though, are written in FA Cup folklore, rolled out for every cup final montage - they're the belters, the moments of individual magic, the strikes that sealed shock wins.

I've chosen 10 that make an all-time list and here's a peek at one of them. You can access the full article below to see where I've ranked it.

Ilkay Gundogan - Man City v Man Utd 2023

Twelve seconds on the clock, captain's armband proudly cradling your bicep against your city rivals, ball dropping through the Wembley sunshine - there's never been a better excuse than to just hit one on the volley.

Ilkay Gundogan executed his effort with perfection, lacing a ferocious, dipping strike into David de Gea's top corner, the Manchester United stopper only able to watch it fly in.

Gundogan's goal is the fastest in FA Cup final history, and one of the best too.

The skipper scored again to seal Manchester City the FA Cup, before they beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later to secure the Treble.

See my 10 selections in full

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I have talked a lot in this column about what I did as a manager before and during games, but what about immediately after the final whistle?

My first encounter with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was when I was with West Brom.

It was early in Pep's first Premier League campaign, 2016-17, and Manchester City had just beaten us at home. After the game I made sure my assistant Dave Kemp would get City's staff in for our customary drink.

I didn't join him in my room until after I had finished my post-match press conference, but there he was at the table with a glass of wine and chatting to all my staff.

As people will tell you, I forced him to eat with us too, while we discussed his early impressions of the Premier League and English football in general.

The entire time he was in the room, he never once brushed over any detail asked of him and he impressed everyone who was there that day - even the caterers commented on how warm and engaging he was to them.

Later that same season, our away game at Etihad Stadium was an evening kick-off and after the game Pep came and found me.

We had a drink and again had some food and, during our conversation, Pep got on to his time at Barcelona. I told him I'd never been but one day it may hit my to-do list.

He immediately asked for my email address and said he would invite my wife Debs and I to enjoy all the pleasures that city could and would provide.

I am still terrible with technology now, and was even worse then - so I gave him Debs' email address because I didn't have one.

The following weekend, after we'd had another Premier League game, I headed home to discover Pep had sent Debs a to-do list of Barcelona that he had compiled himself, and saying to make sure to contact him before we went to see if he would be around at the same time.

I am also useless at accepting gifts or invitations - even ones like that - and we never took that trip to Barca. Maybe we will go one day, though - and if we do hopefully Pep will be around.

I did not see him for a while when I stepped away from management in 2020, but we stayed in touch.

Football is a family and we mustn't lose sight of that, whether you are sat at the top table or not. Pep is a great example of someone who gets that - he did not just change football, he is a really genuine guy as well.

Three more video assistant referee errors have been confirmed by the Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel, taking the total this season to 23.

The panel has recorded three errors involving penalties, two of which should have been awarded for holding offences.

Everton, the only team not to get a VAR intervention in their favour this season, were wrongly denied a spot-kick against Manchester City.

David Moyes' side led 3-2 at Goodison Park when, on a corner, Bernardo Silva held back Toffees midfielder Merlin Rohl - unseen by referee Michael Oliver.

The VAR Paul Howard decided the holding had taken place before the corner was taken, so he could not intervene to award a penalty.

"If that doesn't get given as a penalty, then it's an absolute free-for-all from now on," Moyes said after the game.

All five members of the KMI panel agreed with Moyes, saying "there is a clear, sustained holding offence which continues as the corner is taken and the ball comes into play".

City equalised deep into stoppage time through Jeremy Doku to snatch a 3-3 draw.

• Read more on the KMI Panel findings

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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Manchester City Under-18s boss Oliver Reiss says he is "proud" of his players and it was "special" to beat rivals Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup final.

Reiss' side were beaten in two finals last season but have bounced back to claim the Premier League U18 North and made it a double on Thursday evening.

Reigan Heskey was the match-winner, scoring a late winning goal allowing City to overcome United 2-1. The win mirrored success over United in the final in 1986 - the first time there was an all-Manchester final.

"Just great, really just great," said German coach Reiss. "And of course it was a final, it was the title at the end, but I think I have to mention that this was also a special one of course.

"So playing against United after 40 years, these things, I don't know, but I this makes it a little bit more special for us and just proud and very happy."

There had been controversy in the build-up over the game being played at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium, as City said Etihad Stadium was unavailable because of ongoing construction work.

Reiss added: "I think the crowd was unbelievable today, both supporter sides were unbelievable today. And this is a different atmosphere when it is close or when it's tight. So we were really happy to play at the end.

"I know the discussions around this of course, but at the end we were happy to be here. My family was here. So to celebrate with them together was unbelievable and it made this place also special for us to play this final especially here."

Listen to Man City U18 captain Kaden Braithwaite and Reigan Heskey react to win