The FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City will take place on May 17 at Wembley Stadium in London. Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Crystal Palace
The Londoners confidently reached the FA Cup final, winning all five of their matches. In the first three rounds of the tournament, they defeated opponents from the lower leagues of England. In the last two stages, they faced Premier League teams, not only winning but also keeping clean sheets. They first thrashed Fulham away (3-0) and then defeated Aston Villa with the same scoreline at Wembley. This marks the club's third appearance in the FA Cup final (the last time was in 2016).
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Crystal Palace's last 7 FA Cup matches.
- No more than three goals were scored in 8 of the Londoners' last 9 matches in this tournament.
- The club opened the scoring in their last five matches in this cup.
Predicted lineup for Crystal Palace (5-3-2)
Dean Henderson – Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, Tyrick Mitchell, Daniel Munoz, Chris Richards – Jefferson Lerma, Daichi Kamada, Eberechi Eze – Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Midfielder Cheick Doucoure and defender Chadi Riad are out due to injuries. Midfielder Adam Wharton's participation in the final is doubtful.
Manchester City
The Citizens have reached the FA Cup final for the third consecutive season. Last year, they lost the main match of the tournament to Manchester United (1-2), while in the 2022/23 season, Pep Guardiola's side defeated their city rivals by the same scoreline. In the current campaign, like Crystal Palace, they have won all five of their matches in 90 minutes, facing lower league opponents in the first three rounds. In the last two stages of the FA Cup, Manchester City first overcame Bournemouth away (2-1) and then Nottingham Forest at Wembley (2-0).
- The Citizens have won 16 of their last 17 matches in this tournament.
- No more than three goals were scored in 6 of Manchester City's last 8 FA Cup games.
- The team scored at least two goals in 12 of their last 15 matches in this cup.
Predicted lineup for Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Ederson – Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias – Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva – Kevin De Bruyne, James McAtee, Phil Foden – Erling Haaland.
Defenders Nathan Ake and John Stones are in the club's infirmary. Midfielder Rodri Hernandez and forward Oscar Bobb are likely to miss the final match due to lack of fitness.
Referee
Stuart Attwell (England)
Matches – 23 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 91;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 13%.
Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City: Match Prediction
Despite being the underdog, I believe the Londoners have a decent chance of winning the FA Cup. The team thrashed two Premier League representatives in the previous stages, easily dispatching Aston Villa, who are competing with the Citizens for a top-five finish in the league. Crystal Palace is also in good form, having lost only twice in their last 11 Premier League matches (5 wins and 4 draws).
I predict that the Londoners will at least not lose in regular time, or if they do, it will be by a narrow margin. In their last 19 Premier League matches, Oliver Glasner's side has only suffered two defeats by two or more goals, and in the FA Cup, they have not lost by such a margin in 19 of their last 20 games. It's also worth noting that Manchester City has not won by two or more goals in 8 of their last 11 league matches. Additionally, in their last two Premier League games, the Citizens struggled with finishing, narrowly defeating Wolverhampton (1-0) and drawing sensationally with Southampton (0-0).
My prediction – Crystal Palace with a handicap of (+1)
