Match Preview – Chelsea v Man City, FA Cup final
Saturday, May 16, KO 15:00 GMT – BBC 1 & TNT Sports 1.
All is not well at Chelsea. Major newspaper articles recently have described the situation at the club as an ‘omnishambles’ and a ‘disaster-class’.
Then one popped up to describe the club’s line of direction as being on the verge of a great success story.
Really? Try telling that to the Chelsea faithful, including the Chelsea Supporters Trust, who view the situation at the club as concerning and urgent.
Among their worries are the placing of Chelsea into serious debt, the club’s recruitment strategy, the destruction of the player academy, along with its culture, which was praised so highly recently by academy product Marc Guehi (who is now at Man City), and what they see as the destruction of the club’s identity, which, in turn, is producing a disconnect with fans.
Against this backdrop, and the team’s alarming loss of form, Chelsea approaches the FA Cup final on May 16th.
Their recent form makes for uncomfortable reading. Aside from in the FA Cup, their last nine matches have produced eight defeats, in six of which they have failed to score. They have, in fact, scored just four goals in those nine matches and conceded 23.
Furthermore, Chelsea have kept just three clean sheets in their last 20 matches (all comps), with these all coming in the FA Cup (against Hull, Port Vale and Leeds).
And it makes you wonder just how much worse the situation would be had not Cole Palmer performed so brilliantly over the last two years. His loss of form has been difficult to watch and, unfortunately, might cost him a World Cup spot with England this summer.
Recruitment at the club has, at best, been indifferent, and another potential shining light, Estevao, is also injured, with recent reports confirming that he will also miss out on the World Cup.
The owners’ reaction to the above is awaited with interest.
By contrast, City will arrive at Wembley in good spirits, with seven wins and a draw in their last eight matches (**the Crystal Palace match on May 13th has not been included here), scoring 20 goals and conceding five.
This run includes victories over Arsenal (twice), Liverpool, and Chelsea (3-1 at Stamford Bridge on April 12th).
FA Cup Final Team News
Chelsea Team News
On the upside for Chelsea, Reece James is fit, and Levi Colwill has returned from long-term injury.
On the flipside, Neto, one of their best players this season, is “unlikely” to be available (according to reports on Wednesday); the same comments apply to Alejandro Garnacho, who, of course, scored in the 2024 Cup final when Manchester United beat Manchester City 2-1.
Promising teenager Jesse Derry will miss the remainder of the season following a head injury suffered against Nottingham Forest on May 4th. He is, however, reported to be recovering well.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez also suffered a head injury against Forest and is also reported to be out of the final.
Jamie Gittens (hamstring) is also out, while reports are unclear as to when Benoit Badiashile will again be available.
Man City Team News
Rodri is reported to be recovering well from his groin injury, even though he was left out of City’s squad for Wednesday’s home league fixture against Crystal Palace.
Abdukodir Khusanov missed the recent Brentford match but will be available for the Cup final.
Ruben Dias is also available following a groin injury.
Key Players To Watch In The 2026 FA Cup Final
With Chelsea, it’s a case of nothing to report based on recent form.
For City, in their last nine matches, Erling Haaland has scored six goals, and Jeremy Doku has scored three, which have come in City’s last six games.
Six other players have chipped in during the nine games, including Nico O’Reilly with three.
Given Chelsea’s peculiar inability to deal with crosses into the penalty area, they could be in for a difficult time on Saturday.
Chelsea v Man City H2H Stats & Results
Chelsea haven’t registered a win against City in their last 13 meetings (home and away. In seven of these games, they have failed to score. City has scored in all 13 of them, winning ten.
Chelsea last overcame Man City in the 2020-21 season, when they beat them in the FA Cup (1-0), the league (2-1), and, famously, the Champions League final (1-0). Those were heady days for a club that is showing signs of struggling to maintain its place at the top table of football.
2026 FA Cup Final Verdict
Based on the above, Man City have to be strong favourites to win.
Furthermore, and as much as it is unoriginal, Erling Haaland looks likely to score.
Chelsea last won the FA Cup in 2018, but have since been beaten in three finals, in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Chelsea have also lost the last three League Cup finals in which they have appeared (2019, 2022, and 2024). A seventh successive defeat in a Wembley final would be another unwanted stat in a season when they have registered a number of undesired records.
Man City have reached the last three FA Cup finals, winning once (in 2022), but losing the last two. They will be keen to avoid a straight hat-trick of losses. A predicted score is 3-1.
2026 FA Cup Final Betting Tips
- Match Betting: Man City (3/4)
- Correct Score: Chelsea 1-3 Man City (9/1)
- Both teams to score – Yes: (7/10)
- Over 3.5 Goals: (37/20)
- Goalscorer Bet: Erling Haaland – 11/4 First Goal Scorer or 4/5 Anytime.
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