Manchester City hope to complete the first-ever English domestic double defence as they meet bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.

No team in English history has ever won both the Premier League and FA Cup in back-to-back seasons, as Pep Guardiola looks for yet another notch of English football history on his growing list of firsts.

United, however, may be a tough out simply because they have their backs against the wall. The Red Devils have struggled across the entire tumultuous season, and having finished eighth in the Premier League table, their worst-ever finish in the modern iteration of the English top flight, their European qualification hinges squarely on this result. A win would see them qualify for the Europa League, while defeat would leave them without any continental play for the coming campaign.

“The FA Cup is all about matches between two sides who are not really equal,” ESPN broadcaster Jon Champion told The Sporting News. “That’s the whole appeal of the competition.

“I remember preparing for the 2013 FA Cup final between Manchester City in the early years of their rise playing Wigan Athletic, and no one gave Wigan a chance. And Wigan won it with a goal in stoppage time, in one of the biggest shocks that the FA Cup final has ever seen. It’s moments like that which sustain and make this competition still as popular as it is in the modern age.”

Lastly, Man United will be hoping to defend their internally famous “double double” as their dominant mid-90’s squad under Sir Alex Ferguson was the first team ever to complete the Premier League and FA Cup double twice, but it was not done in consecutive seasons. Seeing Man City swipe yet another bit of history from under their feet would be a painful conclusion to a trying campaign.

Man City vs. Man United prediction, odds

• Moneyline lean: Man City (-275)
• Score prediction: Man City 2-1 Man United

While picking against a wounded dog like Manchester United comes with more peril than it may seem, there’s one standout moment from this heated rivalry that tips the scales towards the favourite. Remember back when Marcus Rashford scored that banger early in the Manchester derby last March? 

All it did was make Man City angry. At this stage of the season, with the adrenaline worn off from the Premier League title race, it might take another moment like that to get City going, but they’ll get going regardless.

MORE: Props for goal scorers, cards, corners, and more for Man City vs. Man United in FA Cup final

Pep Guardiola “is the most driven man you’re ever likely to meet in the field of professional sports,” says Jon Champion. “He exists for winning trophies, and that’s why he’s won so many of them. He’s in the mid-thirties in terms of major trophies won as a manager, now 15 of them with Manchester City, and he has hinted that maybe he’s only got one more year at City, so he’s not going to want to drop that winning habit now. 

“So it’s sustaining what he’s already built and extending what he’s already built, and that really, I think, sustains him in his own head. So I don’t anticipate any sort of easing off from Manchester City, even though they’ve already got the Premier League title in the bag.”

Man City vs. Man United match facts

• Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024
• Kickoff time: 3 p.m. local (10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT)
• Location: Wembley Stadium (London, England)
• Referee: Andy Madley, VAR: Michael Oliver
• Last meeting: Man City 3-1 Man United (Mar 3, 2024 | Premier League)

Man City vs. Man United best bet

• Pick: Under 3.5 total goals
• Odds: -155 (BetMGM)

While Man City always have the potential to get going in front of goal, there’s plenty of signs that Man United can keep this match under control, even if they suffer defeat. In fact, City’s 6-0 win over Watford in the 2018/19 FA Cup final is the only of the last eight finals  to go over the 3.5 goal total, and only two others went above 2.5 goals. For Man City, they walked the FA Cup with three of their five victories to this point coming by either a 2-0 or 1-0 score.

City beat United 2-1 in last year’s FA Cup final, and there’s reason to believe this game could be similar. United are set to have their litany of defensive injuries eased greatly before this game, with the return of Lisandro Martinez.

Across Man City’s final nine-game winning streak to close out the Premier League season, they scored an outstanding 33 goals, but they overshot their expected goals in all but one of those games. While part of that can be written off as just a good team that finishes their chances well, there’s also some luck involved. For the few glaring errors that saw him humiliated at times, Andre Onana actually had a solid season on the whole, and he could factor in to keeping a lid on Man City’s attack.

Man City vs. Man United prop bet

• Pick: Man City over 7.5 corners
• Odds: -130 (BetMGM)

While we’re backing Man United to defensively keep hold of the game, that doesn’t mean Man City won’t push for goals throughout the match. Whether the Premier League champions manage to put the match away early or leave it late, they’ve made a habit of racking up set-piece chances, and Man United have made a habit of letting them.

In their two Premier League meetings this season, Man City have racked up 15 and 12 corners, and it doesn’t stop there — the Red Devils averaged 8.7 corners conceded through their 18 Premier League matches in 2024.

Man City aren’t exactly the most vertical team in the world, but on sheer possessional volume they have the potential to rack up set-piece chances. City topped this high bar in 10 of their 19 Premier League matches in 2024, and should be happy to take what United give them.

Man City vs. Man United live stream, TV channel

As it has been all season long, the FA Cup is streamed exclusively in the United States on ESPN+, and that’s where this final can be found as Man City meet rivals Man United at Wembley.

In Canada, the FA Cup final can be found across Sportsnet’s family of television channels and streaming platforms. Domestically, the FA Cup final will be broadcast in the UK on BBC and ITV’s family of channels and platforms.