'Phenomenal!' - Man City fans say same thing about Pep Guardiola's FA Cup final decision vs Manchester United
manchestereveningnews.co.ukManchester City fans are confident of an FA Cup final win after seeing the starting XI for Saturday's game. After already retaining their Premier League crown, City are on the cusp of achieving a historic treble and can take a step closer to doing so by lifting the FA Cup at Wembley.
However, the only team in England to ever do so and their local rivals Manchester United stand in their way. Having wrapped up the title with three games to spare, Pep Guardiola has enjoyed the luxury of rotating his side for the remaining dead rubbers and it's of little surprise that he has gone with a near-full-strength starting XI.
Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji all come into the fold after missing the final-day defeat to Brentford. ALSO READ: City vs United LIVE FA Cup final updates The quadruplet's return means it's the City team we have come to expect in the biggest matches in recent months with Erling Haaland leading the line and Bernardo Silva out on the right.
Rodri and captain Ilkay Gundogan make up the rest of the midfield while John Stones and Kyle Walker are in the back-line. The only contentious decision is between the sticks as the Blues boss has opted to start cup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega in the final rather than the usual first choice Ederson. "He’s going to play yeah," Guardiola said on Friday. "It's always like that, even in Barcelona, Bayern Munich.
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