Manchester Derby and in This Year’s Fa Cup Final

The curtain falls on the 2023-24 FA Cup season with the final at Wembley, pitting Manchester City and Manchester United against each other for the second consecutive year. Although this year is the 143rd season of the oldest football competition on the planet, the two great teams of Manchester with a centuries-old history met last year for the first time in the FA Cup final, while they have not even faced each other in the League Cup final. It is worth noting that this year’s final, in addition to the prestige, as a team from Manchester will celebrate a “cup”, depriving, at the same time, from the “compatriot” the possibility of winning a title), but also the essence, namely the trophy, it also has an interesting… aspect, as its result will decide United’s European… future.

It is recalled that the “red devils” were ranked eighth in the Premier League, as they were behind on goal difference compared to – their equal – Newcastle, who finished seventh. Thus, if City, who have secured a place in the Champions League through the championship, win the Cup again this year, they will “send” Chelsea – sixth in the standings – to the league phase of the Europa League and Newcastle to the Conference League playoffs . However, if the trophy ends up in… the red side of Manchester, United will automatically secure their participation in the Europa League for the 2024-25 season.

Manchester Derby and in This Year’s Fa Cup Final.

City and United have led contrasting lives this season. After first being beaten by Arsenal in the Community Shield, the ‘citizens’ started the 2023-24 season by celebrating the European Super Cup at ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ and in December the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Up to a point, the “Citizens” claimed to celebrate the treble for the second year in a row, however they had the misfortune of “falling” against the – Champions League champions – Real Madrid in the “8” and being eliminated on penalties. But Pep Guardiola’s side won the league for the fourth consecutive year, something no other team in England had done before, and are now one step away from the double. At the same time, United lost early ground in the “race” for the title, while their European season also ended… ingloriously, as they collected just four points and finished last in their group in the Champions League, as a result of which they could not even to continue its European course in the Europa League. Thus, she finds herself in the… difficult position of having to play a final with the “hated” compatriot in order to secure a European “ticket”…

City, who if they win the Cup will become the first team in England to win two doubles in a row, are preparing to make their 13th cup final in their history, having won seven trophies in their previous 12 appearances in the final. institution. In fact, Pep Guardiola’s team is the owner of the trophy, as it defeated United 2-1 in last year’s final (1′, 51′ Guidogan – 33′ Fernandes penalty). For its part, United are counting down to their 22nd appearance in the FA Cup final, with which they move to the top of the relevant list, in which they currently “cohabit” with Arsenal. At the same time, the “red devils” are second in the list of the most cup titles, as they have celebrated 12 “cups”, while the victorious Arsenal has 14. United last won the FA Cup in 2016, winning 2- 1 in the overtime of Crystal Palace, while he appeared last year for the last time in the final match of the institution.

The two Manchester derbies for the 2023-24 Premier League season have ended in equal number of City wins. The “citizens” beat Erik Ten Hag’s team 3-0 on October 29 at “Old Trafford” (26′ penalty, 49′ Haaland, 80′ Foden), while they overcame the resistance of the “red devils” on March 3 at ” Etihad Stadium” with 3-1 (56′, 80′ Foden, 90+1′ Haaland – 8′ Rashford).