FA Cup Final: Chelsea vs Manchester City predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder

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Chelsea vs Manchester City kick-off, date & TV info 

Date Saturday, May 16
Kick-off 3pm
Venue Wembley Stadium, London
Competition FA Cup
TV BBC One and TNT Sports 1

All eyes will be on Wembley Stadium this afternoon as Chelsea strive to spring a surprise against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

The Blues are bidding to lift the famous trophy for a ninth time but are sure to face a serious challenge from Pep Guardiola's serial silverware winners, who are aiming to build on their EFL Cup final success.

Chelsea vs Manchester City betting tips & predictions

Best bet

Manchester City
2pts 7-10 general

Best player bet

Erling Haaland man of the match
9-2 bet365 

Longshot

Matheus Nunes to assist a goal
6-1 BoyleSports, Coral, Ladbrokes

Chelsea vs Manchester City preview 

Manchester City failed to justify their favourites tag against Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the 2024 and 2025 FA Cup finals, but they have grown accustomed to defeating Chelsea over recent years and should outclass the Blues under the Wembley arch this afternoon.

Pep Guardiola relishes the knockout competitions and his City side are preparing to contest the FA Cup final for a fourth successive season.

City were under par in their losses to United and Palace in the last two seasons, but they brought their A-game to a big occasion in this season's EFL Cup final when Nico O'Reilly's double sealed a superb 2-0 triumph over Arsenal.

The Citizens will be looking to hit similar heights this weekend and, if they play anywhere close to their best, they will be tough to stop.

From a Chelsea perspective, the FA Cup final presents one last opportunity to atone for a miserable campaign.

The Blues started the season with ambition to compete for major trophies and the understanding that Champions League qualification was a minimum requirement.

They still have a shot at silverware, but are on course for a mid-table league finish having taken just one point from the last seven top-flight fixtures.

It was hoped that interim manager Calum McFarlane would provide a short-term lift and he got off to a strong start with the 1-0 success over Leeds in last month's FA Cup semi-final, but there was a sobering reality check the following weekend as Chelsea subsided to a 3-1 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in one of their poorest performances of the campaign.

McFarlane's side ended a run of six straight defeats with last Saturday's 1-1 draw at injury-hit Liverpool, but it was a poor quality game which highlighted why both teams have fallen so far below expectations.

Chelsea need to play much better to have a chance against City and they might have a few extra attacking options with Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto hoping to shake off injuries which have sidelined them for the past three weeks.

However, both players were involved in last month's 3-0 league loss at home to City which was fairly evenly contested until City turned up the heat and scored three times within 18 second-half minutes.

That success extended City's unbeaten sequence against the Blues to 13 games, ten of them victories.

And, as well as the head-to-head advantage, there is a clear difference with regards to Premier League performance with City 28 points better off and far superior in terms of goal difference at plus 43 compared to Chelsea's plus six.

City's chances of winning the title have been hanging by a thread ever since their chaotic 3-3 draw at Everton.

However, they have been victorious in eight of their last nine matches in all competitions and seem to be in the mood to add another trophy to their cabinet.

Erling looks primed to excel

Erling Haaland continues to score lots of goals and his overall game continues to improve. The Norwegian has had 34 Premier League goal involvements, including eight assists, which is equal to the total number he had across the previous two campaigns. The 25-year-old scored and assisted in the 3-0 win at home to Brentford and is playing well enough to justify favouritism in the man-of-the-match market.

Nunes can make his mark

City love to use the full width of the pitch and right back Matheus Nunes has been a key offensive outlet. Nunes assisted the second of O'Reilly's goals in the EFL Cup final triumph over Arsenal and he could have his say on another big occasion.

Chelsea vs Manchester City Bet Builder

Erling Haaland to score at any time

The Norwegian should be refreshed after his midweek mini-break and he can stay on the scoring trail.

Moises Caicedo to be carded

Chelsea could spend long periods without the ball and there may be a price to pay for midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is never far away from a booking.

Over 2 goals

City have been flowing freely in recent weeks and they can continue that trend on a high-scoring occasion.

Pays out at 5-1 with bet365

Click here for more on Dan's 5-1 Bet Builder 

Key stats for Chelsea vs Manchester City

♦ Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 13 matches against Chelsea
♦ The Citizens have won eight of their last nine fixtures
♦ Seven of City's last eight games have featured at least three goals
♦ Chelsea have lost six of their last ten games without scoring
♦ The Blues have conceded the first goal in 12 of their last 14 games

Chelsea vs Manchester City betting odds

Sign up with bet365 to bet on today's big game. Here are the latest odds:

Odds correct at time of publishing

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Chelsea vs Manchester City team news and predicted line-ups

Chelsea

Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto (knocks) and Robert Sanchez (head) could be available again but Estevao, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (both hamstring) and Jesse Derry (head) remain unavailable.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Pedro Neto; Joao Pedro.
Subs: Garnacho, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Hato, Delap, Lavia.

Manchester City

Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki should return but Rodri (groin) faces a late assessment.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, B Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Subs: Gvardiol, Foden, Savinho, Marmoush, Ake, Ruben Dias, Reijnders, 

Read more: 

Football accumulator tips for Saturday, May 16: Back our acca at 15-1 

Weekend Jury: 'At 7-1, he’s a big runner to be named Player of the Match in the FA Cup final'

The Early Bird: Weekend football predictions & free betting accumulator tips from James Milton 

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FA Cup final FAQs

When is Chelsea vs Manchester City in the FA Cup final?

Chelsea vs Manchester City takes place on Saturday May 16 and kicks off at 3pm BST.

Where is Chelsea vs Manchester City being played?

The venue for the game is Wembley Stadium in London.

Where can I watch Chelsea vs Manchester City?

BBC One and TNT Sports 1 are showing the game live in the UK.

What is the match betting for Chelsea vs Manchester City?

Chelsea are 15-4 to win, Manchester City are a 7-10 chance, with the draw 3-1 with bet365.

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