Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: FA Cup Final Preview, Odds, & Prediction

The most democratic cup competition will reach its conclusion on Saturday, May 17, as Crystal Palace and Manchester City will play out the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium after defeating Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, respectively.

Learn more about the odds, team news, picks, and predictions for the thrilling FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City:

Where to watch the FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Here is when and where to watch the FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City:

Date: 17/05

Time: 5:30 pm CET

Location: Wembley Stadium, London

Where to watch: The match can be watched on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK

FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Preview

The ongoing FA Cup campaign has been a roller coaster as there were huge upsets in Round 3 and Round 4, as legacy clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton didn’t even make it to the Round of 16, where Newcastle United and Manchester United also exited the competition.

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner has made Crystal Palace qualify for the final of the FA Cup, which in itself is a huge achievement, and the Eagles would now be aiming to soar higher at the Wembley Stadium, where they also defeated Aston Villa. Emery’s men were stunned by Glasner’s side in the semi-final 3-0 as Eberechi Eze opened the scoring on the evening, followed by an Isamila Sarr brace.

Palace also scored 3 goals in the Round of 16 and the quarter-final as well, and their fans would be hoping for the same attack-minded football on Saturday evening, despite their opponents being of a very different pedigree. The Eagles are doing quite well in the Premier League as well, as they sit in the 12th position with 49 points in the bag and would have an opportunity to achieve the half-century in matches against Wolves and Liverpool.

Manchester City

The Cityzens will be playing in their third consecutive FA Cup final on Saturday after facing cross-town rivals Manchester United at the same stage twice in the last two seasons. While City won the 2022-23 FA Cup, they lost out in the 2023-24 FA Cup final, and would be looking to make amends against Glasner’s men this Saturday.

After cruising past Salford City, Leyton Orient, and Plymouth Argyle, Pep Guardiola’s men then defeated relatively tougher opponents in Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest to reserve their place in the final of the historic cup competition. City’s UEFA Champions League campaign ended rather early this season as they were knocked out of the intermediary playoffs by Real Madrid, and the sky blues would now be hoping to qualify for next season’s Champions League courtesy of their lofty league position.

ALSO READ: Arsenal vs Newcastle United Preview, Odds. & Prediction

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Under/Over Predictions

The Playoffs aim to facilitate the safest bets for the game. Have a look at the predictions for the game below.

Total goals Over 2.5 @ -138 (Fan Duel): In the last 13 FA Cup finals, 9 of those matches saw 3 or more goals being scored, as both teams are usually looking to go all-out to win the coveted trophy. The fixture on Saturday will be City’s sixth FA Cup final since the takeover back in 2008-09, and the Cityzens have only lost two of those finals, a 1-0 loss against Wigan Athletic and a 2-1 loss to Manchester United last year.

Manchester City Total goals Over 1.5 @ -1800 (Fan Duel): In their last league fixture, City failed to score against relegated Southampton, marking their fourth blank in the last 11 league matches, while their previous four blanks came over the course of 55 league fixtures. Despite their recent sketchy form, most fans and pundits are expecting a lot of goals to be scored on the weekend, and City’s titans wouldn’t back down against the Eagles.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Player Picks

Erling Haaland (To Score a Goal @ -115 as per MGM Bet): With Manchester City’s leading goalscorer Erling Haaland set to start upfront in the FA Cup final, the goalscoring mantle could fall on the Norwegian talismanic striker. Kevin de Bruyne would be playing in his fourth and final FA Cup final on the weekend, and the City skipper would be hoping to reignite his exceptional partnership with the prolific striker to lift one last trophy with the club.

Eberechi Eze (To Score a Goal @ +375 as per MGM Bet): In the 2024-25 Premier League season, Eberechi Eze is in an elite list of players with shots and chances created, as he ranks sixth behind Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Kevin de Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and Bruno Fernandes. Eze has also scored for three games straight for the first time in his career, and the Eagles would want their main man to be in top form if they want to lift a trophy at the end of the season.

FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Prediction

Manchester City has the chance to be on the same pedestal as Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, as all three clubs have 8 FA Cup titles to their name, while City has won it a total of seven times and could win their eighth FA Cup trophy this weekend. On the other hand, Crystal Palace has played two FA Cup finals, co-incidentally against a team from Manchester, as Manchester United defeated the Eagles on both occasions in 1990 and 2016.

Our Final Prediction: Playing their third consecutive FA Cup final in a row, everyone expects Manchester City to lift the trophy on Saturday with a 3-1 win against Crystal Palace.

Mohak Arora

A stand-up comedian and a sports journalist with speciality in writing prediction pieces and features on football, cricket, and badminton. Over the last few years, I have contributed pieces to iGaming giants like Parimatch, 1X News, and Melbet.