Eight players could miss Chelsea vs Man City FA Cup final as injured stars named
Chelsea face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, and here is the latest team news and injury updates for both sides ahead of the showdown
Pedro Neto sat out Chelsea’s last two Premier League outings, but the club are optimistic he will be fit to feature(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Chelsea appear to have no fresh injury concerns going into Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Calum McFarlane’s are looking to become the first Blues side to beat Pep Guardiola’s team since the 2021 Champions League final – but should they do it, the 38-year-old will become the most inexperienced coach to ever win the Football Association’s showpiece.
McFarlane is definitely without Mykhailo Mudryk for the match as his anti-doping suspension continues.
Pedro Neto sat out Chelsea’s last two Premier League outings, but the club are optimistic he will be fit to feature this weekend. Former Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho also missed the Nottingham Forest and Liverpool matches, though McFarlane has expressed satisfaction with his recovery progress.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez sustained a head injury in the defeat to Forest and was absent last weekend. McFarlane insisted the keeper had trained well during the week but stopped short of revealing whether he would start at Wembley.
Young prospect Jesse Derry suffered a serious head injury in that same fixture and has been ruled out for the rest of the season. In April, Estevao sustained a hamstring injury that will rule him out heading into the summer.
Similarly, Jamie Gittens has been absent since the beginning of the year, with Chelsea confirming in April that he picked up a hamstring injury during a training session.
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Manchester City head to Wembley Stadium this weekend riding a wave of momentum. While all eyes are on the FA Cup final, City will have been lifted by their commanding 3-0 triumph over Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening. That result narrowed the gap to Arsenal to just two points and ensured a buoyant atmosphere ahead of the showdown with Chelsea.
As for City, their squad appears considerably healthier. Pep Guardiola confirmed in his press conference that Rodri remains a doubt and will be assessed between now and kick-off.
Aside from that, Guardiola has a fully fit squad at his disposal. This includes Josko Gvardiol, who came through Wednesday night’s match unscathed.
Nico Gonzalez was absent from the bench against Palace, though Guardiola confirmed midweek that he was not carrying an injury.
With one piece of domestic silverware already added to the cabinet, in the form of the Carabao Cup, Saturday poses as a fresh opportunity for City to add to the glut of trophies won by the Catalan tactician.
The encounter under the arch comes amid fresh speculation surrounding Guardiola’s future at the Etihad Stadium following reports that he could end his tenure this summer.
He said: “Yeah. Of course, 19 titles in 10 years is not bad. They don’t need to wait when I’m leaving, they know I’ve been fun. I’ve been fucking fun. So, 19 titles, fighting for 20 in 10 years, it’s not bad, honestly.
“No way. No way. I have a one year (left on my) contract,” he said on a potential departure. “I’m so disappointed that they don’t make a stand for Pep (at Wembley), the number of times I’ve been there – at least a lounge or a box. Maybe I go 24 more times.
“It’s been a special place, with Barcelona in 1992 (winning the European Cup as a player) and after against Manchester United with Barcelona (winning the Champions League as head coach in 2011) for the second time and many times since I am here with semi-finals and finals. It’s really good to go to Wembley again. Top.”
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