- FA Cup final takes place on Saturday
- Kovacic expects spirited display from former club
- Backs Man City to have good game
Mateo Kovacic is backing his team to rise up to beat Chelsea this weekend, but he is well aware of the threat they pose.
When Mateo Kovacic joined Manchester City in 2023, the club had just recorded a treble victory which included lifting the FA Cup.
For the past two seasons, City have reached the final, but each time they have fallen short to Manchester United and Crystal Palace respectively.
This means Kovacic has never got his hands on football’s oldest trophy, which is something he hopes to change on Saturday.
Mateo Kovacic highlights Chelsea’s fighting spirit
City are tasked with beating Chelsea at Wembley, which should not be too difficult a task on paper, considering how the Blues have been performing.
Nevertheless, Kovacic knows that his old club are always competing for silverware, so he is anticipating a tricky game.
Mateo Kovacic has played in three FA Cup finals and lost ALL OF THEM 😳
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) May 14, 2026
However the Croatian is confident Manchester City will win the 'amazing trophy' on Sunday 🏆😍
↳ Emirates FA Cup. Live & Exclusive on Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #FACup pic.twitter.com/no263HpZYA
“It’s a dangerous team [Chelsea] with young, young amazing players, so it will be tough,” Kovacic told Stan Sport.
On fighting for the FA Cup, he said: “Unbelievable. I haven’t won it yet, but I hope this time we can manage to win it because it’s really such an amazing trophy and so many clubs are involved. So it’s a beautiful competition.”
Turning his attention back to Man City’s opponent, Kovacic added: “You kind of expect from Chelsea that it doesn’t matter how the season goes, they always fight for some trophies and this season is the same.
“They’re again in a final, so it’s a dangerous team, but I think we have the experience as well as a good mixture of young and older players.
“But of course, it’s one game so you never know what can happen. But we will be prepared for sure to have a good game.”
Kovacic missed out on the Carabao Cup final
Not only has Kovacic never won the FA Cup, he was also unable to play the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal after being benched by Pep Guardiola.
The Croat had only recently made his return from injury, and even now he continues to rarely start for the Citizens.
So of course, Kovacic will be hoping to receive some minutes against Chelsea, but Guardiola’s only priority will be on selecting his most trusted players.
Kovacic might not have many moments like this left
Getting an FA Cup victory under his best is so important to Kovacic, and this could become his last real opportunity to do so.
The 32-year-old is out of contract next summer, so there are no guarantees that he will be a Man City player next season.
Kovacic has been recovering from injury for most of the season, even still, his 130 minutes of first-team action suggests he is not seen as one of City’s important players.
Whether he stays or goes this summer, the midfielder likely has a maximum length of one year remaining at the Etihad Stadium.
Therefore, he will be desperately hoping for Man City to seize their moment on Saturday. And if he is able to play some part in it, even better!
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