London (dpa)
The struggle will be renewed once again between the two arch-neighbors, Manchester United and Manchester City, for the title of the FA Cup, when they meet in the final match of the competition on Saturday at the ancient “Wembley” Stadium in the British capital, London. It is the second consecutive edition of the tournament, during which the two teams meet in the final match, after they previously played in the final of the competition last season, which Manchester City won in their favor, following a 2-1 victory over “United” in the same stadium.
It is the first time since the 1884-1885 season that the two teams competed in the FA Cup final during two consecutive seasons, as the last repeat final took place between Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park, when Rovers won the two final matches.
Manchester United, which is participating in the 22nd final of the prestigious tournament, whose first edition began in 1871, is looking forward to winning the title for the 13th time in its history, and the first since 2016, in order to get closer to Arsenal, the historical champion of the competition with 14 titles.
As for Manchester City, which is playing in the 13th final of the tournament, it aspires to win the title for the second time in a row and the eighth in its history, equaling the record of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, who have lifted the competition cup 8 times.
Both teams are going into the match with different motivations, and while “City” seeks to win the local double “League and Cup” for the second season in a row, after having previously won the English Premier League this season earlier this month, “United” hopes to regain some of its pride. , after the lackluster level he showed in the current season.
Manchester United ended its career in the English Premier League, in eighth place in the competition standings, with 60 points from 38 matches, making this the lowest ranking in the team’s history, since the launch of the modern system of the competition in the 1992-1993 season.
It will be the third meeting between the two teams during the current season, after City won 3-0 in United’s stronghold of Old Trafford last October, before also winning 3-1 at Etihad Stadium last March, during the two teams’ meetings in the English Premier League this season. .
“Derby 193”
The Manchester derby is considered one of the oldest football derbies in the world, as the two teams’ meetings began in November 1881, and this confrontation bears the number 193 in the history of their matches in various competitions.
Manchester United has the advantage in the previous 192 matches, as it achieved 78 victories, and its stars scored 273 goals during them, while Manchester City achieved 61 victories, and its players scored 272 goals, while the same draw was imposed in 53 matches.
“Dialogue 11” in the cup
The two teams have also met in 10 FA Cup matches, with United achieving 6 victories and their players scoring 19 goals, while City won only 4 matches, with their stars scoring 14 goals.
The “guillotine” on Ten Hag’s neck
The upcoming confrontation plays an important role in the future of Dutchman Erik Ten Hag, coach of Manchester United, with the team, which suffered 14 defeats in its career in the English Premier League, which recently concluded its competitions, in addition to a negative goal difference for the first time in the team’s history in the tournament, which holds the record for the number of Times won with 20 titles.
If United fails to defeat City and win the title, which qualifies to play in the European League next season, this will mean the absence of the Red Team from European competitions for only the second time since the 1989-1990 season, according to the British news agency PA Media. ».
Ineos, which recently acquired a minority stake in the club, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and which is responsible for managing the club’s football affairs, must now decide to what extent the team’s decline is the result of a mistake in Ten Hag’s leadership, and whether he is the man. Suitable for leading any structural changes that the club plans to implement in the coming period.
With a number of high-profile managers on the market this summer – including three former Chelsea managers in Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter – the cup final will be the last chance for the new owners to get to know the character of the team under Ten Hag before its fate is decided.
“Bloomoon”… the force of propulsion
Manchester City aspires to exploit the momentum it gained after retaining the English Premier League title for the fourth consecutive season, an achievement that no other club has achieved throughout the history of the tournament, which began its first edition in 1881.
Although “City” did not succeed in retaining the Champions League title this season, which it won last season, the “Celestial” team still has the opportunity to make history again in English football, by becoming the first team in history to win the historic double “League and Cup.” » In two consecutive seasons.
Haaland.. a date with achievement
Norwegian Erling Haaland, the Manchester City star, is planning to achieve a new achievement in his career in the English stadiums. Despite his absence for a large part of the season due to a foot injury, the young scorer is on the verge of a major achievement by scoring 40 goals or more in all competitions in two consecutive seasons.
To achieve this, Haaland will need to score two goals at Wembley, which in turn raises his total goals with Manchester City to 92 goals since joining the team from Borussia Dortmund less than two years ago.
The match represents great importance in terms of the European hopes of other clubs, and while United’s victory in the FA Cup means that it will obtain a place in the Europa League, City’s crowning of the title will be good news for two of their competitors in the league.
Chelsea, which is ranked sixth in the English Premier League, will qualify for the Europa League if Spanish coach Pep Guardiola’s team wins, while Newcastle, which played in the Champions League this season, will get a place in the European Conference League. If United wins the cup, Chelsea will play in the Conference League, and Newcastle, led by its technical director Eddie Howe, will not participate in the continental championships next season.
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