THE 2023 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United takes place at Wembley on Saturday (15:00 BST) – the first all-Manchester final in the competition’s history.
A near 90,000 crowd is expected at Wembley despite more national train strikes leaving tens of thousands of fans having to make alternative plans to travel to London.
Pep Guardiola’s City, who have already won the Premier League and face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on 10 June, need a victory to stay on course for a remarkable Treble.
But United, who have already defeated City this season, are looking to follow up their Carabao Cup triumph in February by completing a domestic cup double.
“We want to win a cup, it is not about stopping them,” said United’s Dutch boss Erik ten Hag.
“We have a great opportunity. Wembley is probably the best stadium in the world and to be there in the cup final is really exciting.”
Guardiola said he will play second-choice keeper Stefan Ortega, who has started all five FA Cup games this season, over first-choice Ederson.
It is the first time in 12 years the FA Cup final has kicked-off at 15:00 BST – the previous occasion being Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Stoke City in 2011.
Last season’s final between Liverpool and Chelsea started at 16:45.
London’s Metropolitan Police has categorised the derby match as high risk and objected to a later kick-off time on security grounds.
It is also the first time the FA Cup final, traditionally played in May, has taken place in June, as a result of fixture congestion caused by the World Cup in Qatar last November and December.
The showpiece is being played 70 days before the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season on Saturday, 12 August.
