The English FA Cup Final is finally upon us between two of the top teams in the country when Manchester City face off against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
City have recently been crowned Premier League champions for a fifth time in six seasons and a third time in a row, and have a Champions League final ahead of them next week in their route for a phenomenal treble. United on the other hand finished 3rd in the league but have already won the Carabao Cup this season too.
We'll break down the first ever Manchester derby FA Cup final and see if we can earn you some extra cash with our best free soccer betting picks.
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FA Cup Final information
- Saturday, June 3rd 2023
- Wembley Stadium, London, England
- 10:00am ET kick-off
- 90 minutes
- If tied after 90 minutes, teams play extra 30 mins
- Still tied after extra-time, teams play penalty shootout
Manchester City route to the final
City have had a perfect run to the FA Cup final this season, beating two top Premier League sides and three Football League clubs without conceding a single goal in the process.
They opened in the third round against Chelsea with a 4-0 win thanks to goals from Riyad Mahrez (2), Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden at the Etihad Stadium.
The fourth round saw them clash with Arsenal but they claimed a hard-fought win at home once again thanks to a sole Nathan Ake goal that saw them earn a 1-0 victory.
The fifth round saw them travel for the first time against Championship side Bristol City, where two goals from Foden and a Kevin De Bruyne strike made it 3-0, before a quarter-final clash against former captain Vincent Kompany's Burnley side.
There they claimed a dominant 6-0 win in their most impressive performance of the tournament thus far, as Erling Haaland netted a hat-trick while Alvarez scored twice and youngster Cole Palmer added another.
In the semi-final at Wembley they faced off against another EFL side against Sheffield United, where a Mahrez hat-trick saw them cruise into the final for this weekend's showdown.
Manchester United route to the final
Erik Ten Hag's side have had a tough route to get to the final at Wembley with four Premier League sides from five opponents, but they've come out on top every time.
They opened up in the third round against Everton at Old Trafford with a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Antony, Marcus Rashford and an own goal to set up a clash with Championship outfit Reading.
They claimed another 3-1 win in that game as Brazilian duo Casemiro (2) and Fred notched before a fifth-round clash with West Ham United saw the club come from behind thanks to an own goal and then late strikes from Alejandro Garnacho and Fred.
United then found themselves behind again in the quarter-finals against Fulham before the west London side imploded and had two player sent off in a matter of moments, which allowed Bruno Fernandes (2) and Marcel Sabitzer to score claim yet another 3-1 win.
That set up a semi-final clash with high-flying Brighton and with the score level at 0-0 after 120 minutes of action, United were victorious in the penalty shootout to set up this final showdown with their noisy neighbors.
A HUGE Final 😬@ManCity take on @ManUtd in the 2023 #EmiratesFACup, and ahead of the showpiece we've compiled some of the key stats and facts 📊
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 30, 2023
Soccer picks: Both teams to score
The two Manchester clubs have faced off twice against each other already this season, with plenty of goals being scored in the process.
The first game at the Etihad ended with Man City claiming a stunning 6-3 win with Haaland and Foden netting hat-tricks, while Antony and Anthony Martial netted for the visitors with consolation goals.
The second game was far more even with City leading 1-0 in the second half at Old Trafford thanks to Jack Grealish, before a controversial equalizer from Bruno Fernandes was followed up by a late winner by Rashford to earn a stroke of revenge.
Both games saw plenty of attacking and both Pep Guardiola and Ten Hag trying to dominate the ball and create attacks with pace and movement. There is a lot of attacking quality on the pitch and both teams are in good form coming into the game too.
City have had the benefit of resting key players in recent weeks having wrapped the Premier League title up early, but they will also have one eye on the Champions League final against Inter Milan next week. This is the final game of the season for the Reds and they will give everything to win the game.
On top of that they know that a win will see them stop City from having the chance to match their greatest ever achievement, the treble, and that is extra motivation. A great game awaits, and there should be goals from both sides in the process.
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Soccer picks: Manchester United to lift the trophy
Manchester City are the favorites and there is a reason why their odds are so high, because they're arguably the best team in world soccer right now.
But with that said, Manchester United are more than capable of beating them in this game. They won the last meeting between the two sides and there is a new confidence around the club after the good season they have had, winning a trophy and qualifying for next season's Champions League with a third-place finish.
Getting almost 4/1 on them to just lift the trophy in any way is fantastic value for a team that has already won a final in this stadium this season and has extra motivation to stop their rivals from doing the treble.
It'll be an open game, and that could favor the counter-attacking style of United, so back them to cause an upset and lift a first FA Cup trophy since 2016.
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