Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte will go head to head in the final game of the English domestic campaign as both teams take a shot at their only trophy this season. The Red Devils, who beat Tottenham Hotspur convincingly in the semi-final, will believe that they have the tools necessary to go all the way, especially given Chelsea’s recent form.
The Blues, who beat Southampton at Wembley to get to the final, lost to Newcastle United on the final day of the league season and lost a chance to play in the Champions League next season. Conte, whose future is uncertain, can salvage something from this season if his side can put in one solid performance on Saturday.
Mourinho last won an FA Cup more than a decade ago but the roles were reversed as he was on the Chelsea bench, putting Manchester United down to lift the trophy. But this will be Manchester United’s 20th FA Cup final, and they have lost just seven of their 19 so far. They can go level with Arsenal, who have won 13 FA Cups, to add their name to history.
The Blues, who lost to Arsenal in last year’s final, are in their 13th final in this competition and the fact that they are unbeaten against United in the last four clashes in this competition will give them some confidence.
The most interesting stats come from both defensive units as Chelsea have conceded just two goals in the entire FA Cup campaign while Manchester United have bettered them and conceded just the one, that Dele Alli scored in the previous round. Here is the team news, predicted lineups predictions and odds for this joint-most played final in the history of the competition.
Team News:
Manchester United:
Mourinho revealed that Manchester United will wait until the last moment to decide if Lukaku is fit enough to start this showdown. Anthony Martial is out with a knee injury and may have already played his last game for the club and so has Marouane Fellaini, who will also miss this game with a muscular problem.
Expected lineup (4-3-3):
De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Young; Matic, Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Lukaku, Sanchez
Chelsea:
The Blues have no real injury concerns ahead of this game against United. David Luiz and Danny Drinkwater are both ruled out while Ethan Ampadu is out with a broken ankle. Emerson Palmieri suffered a knock recently but is expected to make it to the squad.
Expected lineup (3-5-2):
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Cahill; Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard, Morata
Betting Odds:
Manchester United – 9/5
Draw – 21/10
Chelsea – 19/10
Prediction:
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
