The Premier League champions, Manchester City, are ready to win their next big trophy, and it will be against a fluctuating and inconsistent Manchester United.
It has been a season of two different paths for the Manchester clubs. City secured their fourth Premier League crown in a row, while United ended their season with a dismal 18-14-6 record, finishing in eighth place.
Talks around the United Kingdom suggest the FA Cup final will be a cakewalk for the champions, but manager Pep Guardiola is ensuring his team doesn’t fall into that trap.
Guardiola on the FA Cup Final
In a press conference, the Manchester City boss was very cautious about his side falling into a trap of overconfidence. “People think it’s going to happen [Manchester City to win], people say it will be easy.
“I understand that, but it’s a different competition, it’s one game. It can be 10 against 11, bad decisions can happen, mistakes, whatever—and you can lose. In long periods, we have been better than United these past years, it’s obvious. It’s facts—every game we are there. But in one game, anything can happen. The players know it and feel it.
“So I hope we are ready to play the last game of the season and to try to win the FA Cup.”
For Manchester United, winning the FA Cup against their bitter rivals would ease the drama at the club, which is rumored to be looking for a new manager and ready to move on from various players.