FA CUP FINAL - David vs Golliath as Man City aim to deny Crystal Palace their dream

James Buttler looks ahead to the Wembley FA Cup Final as Crystal Palace bid to secure their first major trophy.

Crystal Palace v Manchester City

The 144th FA Cup final pits underdogs Crystal Palace against reigning champions Manchester City in a classic David vs Goliath clash at Wembley. Palace are chasing history, aiming for their first-ever major trophy, while City look to bounce back from last year’s final defeat and lift the cup for the eighth time.

Oliver Glasner’s Palace have impressed en route to the final, scoring exactly three goals in each of their last three FA Cup matches and conceding just once in five ties. This is their third FA Cup final appearance, though both previous ended in heartbreak against Manchester United. Encouragingly for the neutral, recent clashes with City have been high-scoring affairs—five of the last six saw both teams score and over 3.5 goals.

City, appearing in their third consecutive FA Cup final, arrive in solid form despite an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Southampton last time out. Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in ten (W7, D3) and have netted 2+ goals in every FA Cup game this season. With a top-four finish still in play, City will be keen to end their campaign on a high.

My tip for the FA Cup Final is Man City to win & over 2.5 goals with Kevin De Bruyne to assist (16 goal contributions vs Palace – his most against any club) and Eberechi Eze to score anytime (5 goals in his last 4 games) at a tasty 43/1.