Gareth Southgate in the stands for a look at a few people today – one or two might yet get cut who play for these sides; one in particular did not make the provisional squad. How United must hope that Rashford has a response to that today.

City – Ortega, Walker, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Haaland

United – Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot, McTominay, Ambrabat, Mainoo, Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford

The national anthem time. We’re just under ten minutes from kick-off – here’s a historical piece on what the FA Cup used to mean.

And Erik ten Hag, asked about his centre-back partnership and his own future:

“We’ll see how ready they are. We’ve struggled a long time at centre-half, five or six players have played there. They miss match fitness but they know the job and have to do the job. They’re experienced, they can do it.

“Nothing about me. It’s not about me, it’s the team. It’s a very important game for the club and we’ve focused on that. We don’t talk about my position. It doesn’t affect my preparations. I focus on a winning team.

“I’m only focusing on lifting the trophy.”

Roy Keane speaks on Ten Hag’s criticism today of pundits being negative towards Man United:

“A lot of managers don’t like pundits but that’s part of their journey. We’re ex-players and we look at where they are now – he has to take his medicine. But he’s here in a final and he’s got a chance.

“If Man United win today they’ll get plenty of plaudits. You have to hope the players turn up and put in a really good performance.”

Fellow ITV pundit Karen Carney on Haaland:

“If he’s going to get opportunities he’ll take it. His stats are phenomenal (90 in 97 for Man City).United’s centre-backs have to get tight and aggressive.

“They’ve played 20 minutes the other day but this is Manchester City. They might not be up to speed but they are experienced. It’s not ideal when you chop and change centre-backs.”

Pep Guardiola speaking ahead of kick-off:

“We never played a City-United final before and now we’ve done it two years in a row. The universe wanted it,” he said.

“The mood has been really good the last few days but it’s back to business, we have to reset, the league has nothing to do with the final. The final is one game.

“It was a difficult choice today. Some players I thought could play but at the end it’s tough. All the defenders played really well recently.”

Many point to this as a sign of the Premier League’s supposed competitiveness, but it really just shows how difficult it is to even keep pace with the apparently perpetual champions. City force teams to go the distance only to then go that bit further themselves. That comes from a combination of maybe the greatest manager of all time overseeing a squad and infrastructure as he idealises it, to now go further than anyone has before.

City have become the first team in English history to win four successive league titles and the first with as many as six in seven years. That’s all through returns of points (average 91.1), wins (average 29) and trophies (50 per cent of those available) that are superior to any previous club over a spell so long. It is an unprecedented level of domination, now akin to what has recently been seen in Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga.

There is of course, another number hanging over that, which played into a more potent piece of symbolism on the day. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters was not at Manchester City for their win, and that ensured there were no comments about the competition’s most senior figure again handing another Premier League title trophy to the club it has been investigating for so long.

Miguel Delaney on City’s dominance:

United head to Wembley very much the underdogs as neighbours City look to complete another Double following their successful Premier League title defence.

Having finished down in eighth place – a lowest ever Premier League finish – and after crashing out of Europe before Christmas, the spotlight is on Ten Hag’s future.

Parker joined United from QPR in the summer of 1991, going on to win two Premier League titles and also the 1994 FA Cup final as part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.

The 60-year-old feels despite the odds now being stacked against his old club to lift more silverware at Wembley on Saturday, there could just yet be a chink in City’s armour.

The Catalan has one year left on his contract, which was signed in 2022, and suggested he might be willing to discuss an extended deal as he spoke about how he found the motivation to target new achievements.

Guardiola hailed a sixth title in seven seasons as an “crazy” achievement that he would never have thought possible when he arrived after a 3-1 win over West Ham made City champions again.

He stayed at Barcelona for four years and Bayern Munich for three and said he is closer to leaving City than staying, but still galvanised by the chance to make history. City could become the first team in English football history to win back-to-back doubles today when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final and while he believed he had won all there was to win last year, he then found new targets.

The Spaniard led his team to their fourth successive Premier League title last week, with an enthralling season culminating in a 2-1 win at home to West Ham on the final day, marking another successful league campaign for the Cityzens. And City will be looking for the third FA Cup win of Guardiola’s tenure as they face a struggling Manchester United side in a repeat of last season’s final.

Erik ten Hag’s team finished eighth in the Premier League, and will be banking on a win in this competition to scrape at least one positive out of what has been a dismal season overall.

Dozens of rumours are circulating regarding ten Hag’s future, and with new part-owners Ineos bringing plenty of personnel changes, this game could prove a defining moment in the Dutchman’s tenure. Here’s everything you need to know.

Erik ten Hag fired back at his critics on the eve of the FA Cup final, accusing TV pundits of attacking him “to make themselves look better”.

In an interview with Dutch publication VI, Ten Hag admitted the season had been “crap” as he led United to eighth place, their worst ever Premier League finish. But he was irked by the criticism he has received along the way, insisting the club is “not ready” to meet sky-high expectations.

United boss’ quotes here: