City repeat last year’s victory in the FA Cup in the city duel?
For the second time in a row, two Manchester clubs will duel for the trophy in the world’s oldest cup competition. After Manchester City narrowly came out on top 2-1 against United in 2023 thanks to Ilkay Gündogan’s brace, the Sky Blues will be desperate to defend their title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon and also bag the double.
On paper, coach Pep Guardiola’s team are the clear favorites, but the task against the English record champions should by no means be taken lightly. The fact is that the Red Devils are not just playing for silverware, but also for a ticket to European football next season. MUFC will only be represented internationally in 2024/25 if Manchester City and Manchester United’s FA Cup victory at the weekend proves to be the result of the Premier League season just ended
Admittedly, coach Erik ten Hag’s charges will need an absolute cream day to overcome the reigning champions. United have already lost both head-to-head duels in the course of the league season, conceding three goals in each. However, after two recent positive performances against Newcastle United and Brighton, the underdogs are still determined to bring the year to a conciliatory end.
If you still believe in a surprise coup and the Red Devils’ first FA Cup triumph since 2016 at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, you can pick up very high odds for a corresponding Manchester City vs Manchester United bet. At Bet3000, for example, a top price of 5.10 beckons for the underdog to win the title. At the same time, Bet3000 offers an attractive welcome bonus for new customers.
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
In the end, it was just a formality. A deserved 3-1 home win over West Ham United at the weekend saw Manchester City crowned English champions for the fourth time in a row. In eight seasons under the management of Pep Guardiola, the Sky Blues have now won the national crown six times and remain the footballing figurehead on the island. The Spanish coach will be aiming to prove this supremacy once again on Saturday as he attempts to win his third FA Cup title. After the 6-0 thumping victory over Watford in the 2019 final and the aforementioned 2-1 win over Man United in the previous season, the Citizens are once again the clear favorites in 2024.
The main reason why odds of just over 1.30 are being offered for City to win in regulation time ahead of the Manchester City v Manchester United final is their outstanding form in recent weeks. Pep’s side have delivered matchday after matchday, celebrating nine (!) wins in a row at league level. If you exclude the CL elimination after penalties against Real Madrid, because the first and second legs ended in a draw after 90 minutes, MCFC have not conceded a single defeat in the entire 2024 calendar year. The last defeat dates back to St. Nicholas Day 2023 and only four competitive matches were lost in 90 minutes over the entire season
Experience paired with quality and momentum makes Man City the favorites
In addition to the remarkable form, which is primarily reflected in the positive results, the offense also deserves a big compliment. While Haaland and Co. fell short of their own expectations several times, especially in the fall, the offensive output is now very impressive again. At league level, the Sky Blues have scored a whopping 20 goals in their last six matches, an average of more than three per game. In the FA Cup, they have also scored 15 goals in five games. Three clubs from the top seven – Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea – were eliminated, meaning that their place in this final is of course absolutely deserved.
Because the now very experienced City team has won many title games in recent years and knows exactly what is important in terms of the success rate, we believe there is virtually no alternative to predicting a favorite win in the Manchester City vs Manchester United derby. In order to push the odds a little further, it is conceivable to combine the Sky Blues’ success after regular time with a maximum of four goals in the course of the match, because in the current millennium the bet on the under 4.5 would have gone through in 21 of 24 FA Cup finals.
Finally, if we had to decide on a potential goalscorer, Phil Foden comes into question alongside Haaland, whose odds of scoring are too low. The England international not only scored twice in the 3-1 win over WHU, but has also scored five goals in his last five competitive matches. 27 goals in the Premier League and 26 goals in all competitions confirm such a bet, which can be played in the Happybet app at a proud 2.50 as maximum odds.
Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ortega – Akanji, Ake, Walker – Grealish, Rodri, Stones, Silva – De Bruyne, Foden, Alvarez
Manchester United – Statistics & current form
Manchester United Football Club is once again facing a major shambles. The Red Devils finished bottom of their Champions League group in the preliminary round, finished last in the last 16 of the League Cup and the record champions did not even come close to achieving their own goal in the Premier League, finishing eighth in the final standings. Whether fans, coaching staff, players and management will ultimately go into the summer break with a smile on their faces depends solely on the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
For the first time since 2016, the Red, White and Blacks want to win the oldest cup competition in the world again and not only fill their trophy cabinet, but also secure their ticket for the 2024/25 Europa League. As they failed to do so via the league standings, a defeat would be doubly bitter for coach Erik ten Hag’s team. Despite their undeniable underdog status, the odds are even higher for the twelve-time FA Cup winners than for their city rivals. Meanwhile, there is little argument that the immense pressure situation will inspire Bruno Fernandes and Co. and result in a top performance
Can the weakening MUFC defense stop the City attack?
While United have shown glimpses of their potential throughout the current season, they have lacked the consistency to maintain strong performances over a longer period of time. To make matters worse, they have lost all four head-to-head meetings against the two best teams in the Premier League. In three of these four matches against Manchester City and Arsenal, even a handicap bet (-1) in favor of the championship aspirants would have been crowned with success. This is one of the reasons why we are also checking the odds on a City victory by two or more goals ahead of the Manchester City v Manchester United cup final.
The extremely unstable defense of the ten Hag team, which has conceded 58 goals in the Premier League alone and has even been defeated 83 (!) times in all competitions, also speaks for this. A single clean sheet in the last ten games against English first division teams and six matches in this period with at least two goals conceded are impressive evidence of the defensive deficiencies. Against the champions’ patient and creative high-class attack, the Red Devils are likely to reach their limits once again.
Especially if the skilled six-man Casemiro has to help out in central defense again. The multiple Champions League winner has had a few lapses in this position recently and is still supposedly the best option compared to Evans, Kambwala or Varane. Offensively, hopes are pinned on strikers Hojlund and Rashford, who have been rested, but who could be used from the start this time. For Rashford, it will also be about getting the frustration of not being nominated for EURO 2024 off his chest.
Predicted Manchester United line-up:
Onana – Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Casemiro, Dalot – McTominay, Mainoo – Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho – Hojlund
Manchester City – Manchester United head-to-head / H2H record
This is the third time the two clubs have faced each other this season. In the two Premier League games, Manchester City have always had the upper hand. There was a 3-1 win at home, which was celebrated thanks to a significant improvement in performance in the second half. The Sky Blues even won 3-0 at Old Trafford, with Phil Foden and Erling Haaland (three each) responsible for all six goals.
Incidentally, City have won seven of their last eight head-to-head matches against their city rivals in all competitions. This includes the aforementioned 2-1 win in the FA Cup final last season. Incidentally, apart from the second-tier Community Shield, the 2023 final was the only title match between these clubs to date. Number two follows on Saturday afternoon
Manchester City – Manchester United tip
One of the absolute highlight games this weekend is at Wembley. However, we’re not even talking about the “million-dollar game” on Sunday for Premier League promotion between Leeds and Southampton, but the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. According to the betting odds, the most popular bookmakers have no doubts that the champions and defending champions under coach Pep Guardiola will win the trophy again in the rematch of the title game from the previous season.
In fact, there are hardly any arguments to swing the pendulum in MUFC’s favor on Saturday afternoon. Although the ten Hag eleven celebrated two wins in the league against Newcastle and Brighton at the end of the season, it was still not enough to qualify for European competition. They will therefore need a win against City to qualify for international competition in 2024/25. However, under normal circumstances, the odds are likely to be too high against the 2024 unbeaten Citizens, who have won nine in a row at league level and also won the two direct PL duels against their city rivals.
We are therefore of the opinion that the best bet between Manchester City and Manchester United is for the Sky Blues to win by at least two goals in regulation time. For the handicap bet -1 in favor of the English industry leader, Bet3000 offers a solid 1.80 as the maximum odds.
