Where to watch Manchester City vs. Manchester United live stream: FA Cup TV channel, online, start time, odds

The FA Cup final may be between two neighboring clubs, but Manchester City and Manchester United enter Saturday’s season final in dramatically different circumstances and the stakes vary for each of them.

A few days later winning their fourth consecutive Premier League title, the FA Cup seems more like the icing on the cake of another important season for City. The race may have reached its final day, but second-placed Arsenal have never managed to challenge the sense of inevitability associated with City’s triumphs, and that is no different in the run-up to Saturday’s FA Cup final. With a star-studded squad that includes Premier League player of the season Phil Foden and the unbeatable Rodri, they are hot favorites to win the trophy for the second year in a row.

City’s utter dominance means Saturday’s match will be an uphill battle for long-time rivals United. The Red Devils are looking for a silver lining in a season full of dark clouds, which includes a group stage exit from the Champions League and an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. Their journey to Wembley Stadium wasn’t entirely glorious either – they were almost knocked out of the competition in the semi-finals, losing a 3-0 lead against Championship side Coventry City and needing a penalty shootout to progress. Saturday’s game offers not only the opportunity to briefly overlook this season’s shortcomings, but also the club’s only opportunity to qualify for European competition.

Here are three things to keep an eye on ahead of an intrigue-filled FA Cup final.

Attack strengths

City have few weaknesses, but perhaps their biggest strength in recent weeks has been their remarkable ability to outplay opponents. Pep Guardiola’s team are struggling to finish the season, outscoring their opponents 38-9 in their last 12 games in all competitions. Erling Haaland won the golden boot again after a 27-goal Premier League season, while Foden’s 19-goal season earned him the FWA Premier League Player of the Year award for the first time, leaving them well placed to take advantage of United’s hollow defense line. .

It’s exactly the same category that United also excel in, although obviously to a lesser extent than City. A big reason why the Red Devils’ season has been incredibly chaotic is because they can score in huge numbers, scoring 26 times in their last 12 games. However, they are a bit restless: they have been goalless in two of those games and the focal points of their attack, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, have been inconsistent this season. United come into this game on a two-game winning streak, with Hojlund scoring twice in that time, so his abilities up top could be the most obvious route to success on Saturday. This is especially true considering City tend to let a goal be scored more often.

Tactical resolution

The ability to score goals is where the similarities end for City and United. There are many differences between the two teams on the pitch, but the main one is that City are packed with world-class talent in all areas of the pitch, allowing Guardiola to build a tactically solid team that executes his possession and passing plan based on on almost every occasion.

City’s job, to put it simply, is to continue the good work. Guardiola’s style works against almost everyone, including United, who they have beaten 3-1 at home and 3-0 at Old Trafford during Premier League games this season. Success on Saturday will not only require a strong tactical setup from City, but also the ability to stay motivated despite their familiarity with the challenge. They were incredibly motivated to follow up last season’s treble with another title win, something Guardiola seemed to admit would be difficult to maintain for another year – and therefore something the manager needs to keep in mind after the hard-fought Premier League triumph League.

As for United, they may not have had success against City this season, but they have managed to keep some attacking-minded teams at bay this season by relying on a defensive-first approach. Considering United’s defensive instability, it is a risky approach. Erik ten Hag’s side concede shots at a possibly exponential rate – just look at the 0-0 draw with Liverpool in December, when goalkeeper Andre Onana had to face 34 shots. However, they managed to hold it together on a few occasions, and the return of defender Lisandro Martinez could help.

The future of Ten Hag

Ten Hag may have gained an extra week on United’s payroll with Saturday’s FA Cup final, but let’s face it: even if he puts on a miraculous masterclass and the Red Devils lift the trophy, there’s probably no way he save your job. The number of people linked to the role suggests the team, now run by new minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is just waiting to cut ties with him, but poor performance before then actually says more about its prospects than the hiring rumors . .

It almost forces the question: What could possibly motivate ten Hag to perform at his best on Saturday, with the odds against him and unemployment likely hours away? The immediate answer is probably Ten Hag’s own delusion, which was fully exposed when it became clear that the end was near. To give just one example, he stated that the victory over Coventry was “no shame” and later described criticism of his team’s performance by members of the media as a “disgrace”. This Ten Hag version will probably appear during the FA Cup weekend in some form, whether anyone likes it or not.

In all seriousness, though, Saturday’s game should not be about ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford, but rather about their prospects after the fact. The Red Devils’ descent into chaos is likely to follow Ten Hag for a while and it could just mean he misses out on a new job despite the glut of high-profile vacancies in Europe this summer. If he can find a way to stop the bleeding on Saturday – whether through performance or actual result – it could be a reminder to many that he was once a promising manager. If he can also drop the act of pretending that everything is fine, he might be able to remind potential bosses that he can be a professional manager, too.

How to watch and odds

• Date: Saturday, May 25th | Time: 10 a.m. ET
• Location: Wembley Stadium – London
• TELEVISION: None | Live broadcast: ESPN+
• Chances: City of Manchester -310; Draw +430; Manchester United +750