Who Will Claim the Final Piece of Silverware of the Premier League Season?

This weekend Chelsea and Manchester United will make their way to Wembley Stadium on Saturday to compete in the FA Cup Final. The two teams have endured somewhat mixed fortunes this season and neither had claimed silverware this season yet, with Saturday being their final remaining chance to do so.

So how will the big game, which kicks off at the now standard time of 5.15pm in the evening, go? Will it be the Red Devils who lift what would be a record-equalling 13^th FA Cup trophy in their history, or will Chelsea move into joint-third in the history table by clinching what would be their eighth success in the competition?

Before we take a closer look to find out, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that to really enjoy the football this weekend, you’ll need a top-quality bookmaking site to take all your bets. One option is bet365 Sport which offers a wide range of markets for the event including betting on all the top betting markets, such as the match result, first goalscorer and the correct score of the game.

So now you are ready to enjoy a flutter on the big game, how do we see it panning out and what are the best markets we feel will see us land a profit when betting on the game? Let’s find out.

FA Cup Final Preview

Let’s begin our preview of the event by looking at both teams, how they reached Wembley, their predicted line ups, formation, manager and the key men for each team who will most likely influence each team’s chances of success in the big game.

• Manchester United

Manager – Jose Mourinho

A two-time former Chelsea boss, Mourinho won’t have any issues over allegiances at the weekend. Without any silverware this season, a defeat here would represent a disappointing season for United, despite finishing second in the league table. Mourinho’s job is safe at Old Trafford for the time being and a win here would at least furnish the Trophy Room with more silverware, however the pressure will be on next season for Mourinho to deliver greater success in the Premier League and Champions League.

How Manchester United Reached Wembley

• 3^rd Round – (H) v Derby County – W 2-0 – Lingard 84, Lukaku 90
• 4^th Round – (A) v Yeovil Town – W 4-0 – Rashford 41, Herrera 61, Lingard 89, Lukaku 90
• 5^th Round – (A) v Huddersfield – W 2-0 – Lukaku 3, 55
• Quarterfinals – (H) v Brighton – W 2-0 – Lukaku 37, Matic 83
• Semifinals – (N) – Tottenham – W 2-1 – Sanchez 24, Herrera 62

Manchester United Predicted XI (4-3-3) – De Gea, Valencia, A.Young, Smalling, Bailly, Herrera, Pogba, Matip, Lingard, Sanchez, Lukaku.

The main doubt for United is Romelu Lukaku who has missed the last two weeks with injury and if he is not fit to play, he will be on the bench with Marcus Rashford likely to deputise.

Key Man for Manchester United – Paul Pogba

The mercurial Frenchman has endured something of an up and down season at Manchester United this year, at times superb (as he was when inspiring United to a 3-2 win at Manchester City) and at other times dreadful and incurring the wrath of his manager. As United’s main creative focus in midfield, if Pogba plays well going forward United will score, however it could just as well be his defensive efforts, or lack of them, which contribute more to United’s chances of success.

• Chelsea

  

Manager – Antonio Conte

Will Antonio Conte be staying at Chelsea beyond the end of this season? After a stellar campaign to win the Premier League last season, Chelsea lost ten games in the Premier League this season and there are signs that the Italian is not happy and seems to have lost a little support from sections of the dressing room and more ominously, the board. Whether Conte stays or goes, he’ll want to go out having secured more silverware for the Blues, but his team will have to play one of their strongest games of the year to achieve that.

How Chelsea Reached Wembley

• 3^rd Round – (A) v Norwich City – D 0-0
• 3^rd Round Replay – (H) v Norwich City – D 1-1 – Batshuayi 55 (won 5-3 on pens)
• 4^th Round – (H) v Newcastle – W 3-0 – Batshuayi 31, 44, Marcos Alonso 72
• 5^th Round – (H) v Hull City – W 4-0 – Willian 2,32, Pedro 27, Giroud 42
• Quarterfinals – (A) v Leicester – W 2-1 (aet) – Morata 42, Pedro 105
• Semifinals – (N) v Southampton – W 2-0 – Giroud 46, Morata 82

Chelsea Predicted XI (3-4-2-1) – Courtois, Moses, Alonso, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Cahill, Kante, Fabregas, Hazard, Willian, Giroud.

There’s a lot more doubt over Chelsea’s team with Conte liable to play three at the back, but just as likely to play a flat back four. That could see plenty of changes to where most of these players play, and perhaps see others come in, but for the most part, this should be close to Chelsea’s starting XI.

Key Man for Chelsea – Eden Hazard

The brilliant Belgian has had something of a stop-start season in terms of his form. He’s been brilliant at times, catching the eye with his mazy runs, superb goals and fabulous assists but equally at times, he has been missing, especially in some crucial games for Chelsea (notably against Barcelona in the Champions League). If Hazard has a special day, Chelsea’s chances of winning increase markedly, but without him on top form, they may struggle to break down a resolute Manchester United defence.

FA Cup Final Tips

Outlined below are our main tips for the FA Cup Final at Wembley this weekend.

• Match Winner

In this battle of the behemoths, who will come out on top? Chelsea may have the greater attacking flair but their form this season has been so patchy, although they have tended to raise their game against better quality opponents. Chelsea beat United in the Premier League back in November, but United gained revenge in February with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. The teams are generally well matches despite the big gap between them in the league but I just feel Jose Mourinho’s players want to play for him and the badge more than Chelsea’s do at present. Hence I am backing Manchester United to win inside the 90 minutes and that is currently 2.70 with bet365. 

• First Goalscorer

First goalscorer I think is best viewed as a value bet as literally anybody could score the first goal and while some players may score more goals, there’s no guarantee that they tend to be the opening goalscorer in most games. I think Wembley attracts the big players and while I think Eden Hazard is a decent shout, Alexis Sanchez, who hasn’t had the best of starts for United, provided the spark in their semi-final win over Tottenham and he is 7.50 with bet365 to get the opening goal on Saturday too.

• Correct Score

While I can’t see this being a final packed with goals, both defences tend to be too tight for that it is a game that I do see both teams scoring. However my gut feeling is that United just have the edge in this department, although Lukaku not likely to be 100% does impinge on their chances. That said, I am backing United to win inside 90 minutes by a 2-1 scoreline, which is a 11.00 shot with bet365.