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Arch-rivals Manchester United and Manchester City will lock horns in the FA Cup final at Wembley today.
After winning the Premier League title this season, Pep Guardiola's side are chasing a continental treble. If they beat Manchester United today, only the Champions League showdown with Inter Milan next weekend will stand between them and the historic achievement.
Manchester United are the only English team to win the treble thus far and the Red Devils would love to keep it that way beyond this season. They will be looking to derail City's plans but will have their work cut out for them today.
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Manchester City have been a juggernaut of sorts this term but Manchester United haven't done too badly themselves and have already taken home the Carabao Cup.
They have the opportunity to earn a domestic cup double today as well as ruin their rivals' party. Although City are widely viewed as the favourites, Manchester United have enough firepower to cause an upset in what could be a thrilling FA Cup final.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester United could win against Manchester City today.
#5 A Fred-Casemiro midfield could frustrate Manchester City
Manchester City have world-class midfielders on their side and will look to dominate the midfield battle against Manchester United from the get-go. However, should United manager Erik ten Hag choose to go with a double midfield pivot of Fred and Casemiro, things could take an interesting turn.
Fred and Casemiro are in good form heading into the game and they could frustrate City with their doggedness and ability to break up attacks. The duo start together in midfield regularly for the Brazilian national team and are very familiar with each other's game.
Should Ten Hag choose to deploy the two together with Bruno Fernandes taking up the role of the no. 10, City might not enjoy a lot of time on the ball in midfield.
#4 Manchester United have beaten City already this season
Manchester United avenged their 6-3 thrashing at the Etihad in the first half of the 2022-23 Premier League season by beating their rivals 2-1 at Old Trafford in the corresponding fixture.
The Red Devils managed to keep City at bay for the majority of the game as goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford helped them earn a comeback win. Guardiola's side registered just a single shot on target in that match.
Ten Hag definitely showed that day that he knows a thing or two about curtailing the City's creativity and nullifying their threat in the final third.
Erling Haaland, who scored a brilliant hat-trick in City's dominant display against United at the Etihad, was limited to just two shots (neither on target) in the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford. If United can do the same again today, they will be in with a massive chance of winning the game.
#3 Manchester United are in slightly better form
Manchester United finished the Premier League season strongly, securing four successive wins in their last four matches. Meanwhile, Manchester City mustered just one point from their last two games.
City were arguably outplayed by Brighton & Hove Albion in their penultimate game of the league campaign but it ended in a 1-1 draw. Subsequently, Brentford beat them 1-0 on the final matchday.
But to be fair to City, they had already won the Premier League with two games to go and shuffled their pack quite a bit for their last two outings.
However, at this level, it's not all that easy for any group of players to get back to firing on all cylinders at the flick of a switch and this could give United a little bit of an advantage today.
#2 United's pace on the counter could hurt City
Manchester United are one of the best counter-attacking teams in Europe right now. They have plenty of pace in their frontline. With Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho likely to start in attack, City will need to be very cautious if they are planning to play a high line.
Rashford excels at making runs off the shoulder of the last defender and it's nearly impossible to catch him once he is in the clear. Fernandes' ability to release United's attackers into space with his quick thinking and efficient execution will force City's defenders to be on their toes all game.
Garnacho and Sancho have both shone in recent games and they could cause some serious problems to the City backline today.
#1 All the pressure on Manchester City and Pep Guardiola
Manchester United have already met two of their main objectives this season.
They qualified for the Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League table. The Red Devils have also already won silverware this season (Carabao Cup) and these two achievements are sufficient for Ten Hag's debut season to be considered a success.
Losing the FA Cup final to this Manchester City side is not going to change that. Meanwhile, Guardiola's side are already being tipped to win the treble this season.
City have been criticized extensively for their lack of success in the Champions League and their inability to win the treble in the past despite the wealth of resources at their disposal.
Winning the FA Cup will take them a step closer to the dream and as such, they are likely to feel the pressure way more than their rivals Manchester United.
Guardiola has a reputation for overthinking in crucial games and tweaking his system a bit too much. Today, he will also be under pressure to prove that notion wrong.
