- Man City will play Chelsea in FA Cup final
- Citizens have lost final two years in a row
- Last won competition in 2023
Manchester City are looking to lift the FA Cup, after two consecutive seasons of falling short at the final hurdle.
The Sky Blues last won the competition during the 2022/23 campaign, defeating Manchester United 2-1 in the final.
It is time to take a look at where those players are now, and which of them are likely to be competing for the trophy again on Saturday afternoon.
Stefan Ortega
Man City’s backup goalkeeper started ahead of Ederson in the cup final, and he would later go on to be branded the best goalkeeper Pep Guardiola had ever seen.
This was due to his performance against Tottenham in 2024, when he saved a close range effort from Heung-min Son when the forward was one-on-one with him.
The shot-stopper only left City in February this year, joining Nottingham Forest where he has since made 10 appearances.
Ruben Dias
Unlike Ortega, Dias is still at Man City. However, he will not be fit to participate in Saturday’s final due to his ongoing hamstring problems.
This is a huge blow for the defender, who also missed the Carabao Cup final in March through injury.
With Dias unable to feature against Chelsea, this means he will not have played a single minute of City’s current FA Cup campaign.
John Stones
Once the summer transfer window opens, Stones will be out of contract at Man City, making Saturday’s match his last ever final with the club.
The 31-year-old has worn the captain’s armband in the FA Cup three times this season, missing out on two matches solely because of injuries.
Stones will be hoping that Guardiola decides to keep up the rhythm of selecting his squad players for the cup competition in this year’s final, so he is able to play his part one last time.
Manuel Akanji
Featuring in each of the past three FA Cup finals, Akanji will be missing out this time around as he now plays on loan at Inter Milan.
The defender is set to leave Man City on a permanent basis this summer, ending a four-year spell at the club.
Akanji has made 45 appearances for Inter this season, helping them to a Serie A triumph achieved by comfortable margins, and win the Coppa Italia.
Kyle Walker
Another player who moved to Italy on loan, Walker signed for AC Milan last year on a temporary basis, with the club receiving the option on a permanent move.
However, this clause was not activated, and the right-back has spent the past season at Burnley, who suffered relegation from the Premier League.
In fact, it was City who dealt the Clarets their decisive blow, sealing their fate with a 1-0 victory at Turf Moor.
Rodri
While Rodri started in the 2023 final, he was absent from the squad last year because of an injury problem.
This season could end up being another disappointment for the Spaniard, as he has been sidelined since last month.
Still, there is one more day for Rodri to return to full fitness, and he will be eager to play in this year’s final after missing out last time.
Bernardo Silva
Along with Stones, Bernardo Silva will be leaving Man City at the end of the season, once his contract has expired.
The club captain has played an integral role in City’s 19 trophy wins since he arrived in the summer of 2017.
On Saturday, he will be looking to take his tally to 20. Unless Arsenal slip up in the Premier League, this will be the midfielder’s final chance to do so.
Ilkay Gundogan
City’s hero in the 2023 final was Gundogan, who scored both goals as Man City edged their rivals by a single score.
The German would go on to move to Barcelona that summer, only to make the switch back to Manchester last year.
However, his second spell at the Etihad Stadium was brief. Now, Gundogan plays for Galatasaray, whom he helped reach the Champions League last 16 stage this season.
Kevin De Bruyne
Without a doubt, De Bruyne is one of Man City’s all-time greats. In total, he won 19 trophies with his former club.
The playmaker was a key contributor in the 2023 final, twice assisting Gundogan for the goals which proved decisive.
The Belgian’s success this season has unfortunately been quite limited. Napoli missed out on the Serie A title, and crashed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.
Jack Grealish
Technically still a City player, Grealish has spent the season on loan at Everton. He got off to an electric start at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, recording lots of assists early on.
However, the winger has been out of action since January after requiring surgery on his foot. This has already caused him to miss 14 Premier League matches.
Grealish has shown that he still has talent at the age of 30, but it is hard to see him remaining at Man City next season
Erling Haaland
Incredibly, Haaland has never scored in a final for Man City, despite the fact he has played in eight of them.
The Norwegian is a specialist at banging in goals, but he needs to show he can do it when the pressure is on the most.
With four goals in his past four starts, Haaland is in fine form and he will be determined to keep this up against Chelsea.
