* PRE-MATCH ANALYSIS
Manchester United's status as the only English team to have won the treble – the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League – has been seriously threatened in recent years, and many believe Manchester City could match that feat this season after their recent Premier League title win. In the first major final between the two Manchester clubs, Guardiola's side are aiming for a treble, while manager Ten Hag hopes to lift a second trophy in his first season at Old Trafford. The MU manager said: "Of course, I understand the fans' feelings about that. We will do everything to give them a second trophy."
MU (right) is one of the five teams that have beaten Man. City in the Premier League this season.
MU beat Newcastle in February to win the League Cup, meaning a win tonight would give them their first domestic double. However, Man City are a completely different opponent. The way "The Citizens" have won 12 consecutive matches to pull away from Arsenal in the Premier League title race is incredibly impressive.
This will be Manchester United's 21st FA Cup final, a record they share with Arsenal. However, the downside is that a defeat tonight would mean the Red Devils have lost more FA Cup finals than any other team (9). Can manager Ten Hag's team avoid this unfortunate record?
MU's task ahead will not be easy. Man.City is the team that has scored the most goals (17) in the FA Cup and has the ability to lift the trophy in 90 minutes with a clean sheet throughout the tournament, something no team has done since Bury in 1903.
Based on all the above analysis, Opta's supercomputer has given Man. City a 63.4% chance of winning in 90 minutes, compared to only 16.5% for MU. This means there is a 20.1% chance the match will go into extra time and possibly a penalty shootout. While it's difficult to predict how the match will unfold in this scenario, it's clear that the difference in skill between the two teams will be eliminated in the penalty shootout.
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