{"id":8124,"date":"2026-05-14T01:18:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8124"},"modified":"2026-05-14T01:18:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:18:30","slug":"pep-guardiola-implies-chelsea-have-one-advantage-in-fa-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8124","title":{"rendered":"Pep Guardiola implies Chelsea have one advantage in FA Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Pep Guardiola raised a lot of eyebrows when he named the likes of Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku on the bench for the game against Crystal Palace. Those are three of Manchester City\u2019s most vital players. And with the club still in the Premier League title race, that was a bold move. The Spaniard clearly had an eye on the FA Cup final against Chelsea at the weekend.<\/p>\n

That showed the depth of this Manchester City team though. They still managed to win 3-0 against Crystal Palace tonight. Could Chelsea have left out three important players and done the same? Could the Blues have managed it at full-strength even?<\/p>\n

In the eyes of most people, Chelsea are going to be heavy underdogs when they take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final. But Guardiola appears to believe that the Blues do hold one advantage over his team. The manager said:<\/p>\n

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Chelsea have been all week at home, training and preparing. We have to travel to London, they will be at home with their wife and kids. So that is fatigue, and fatigue, and fatigue, and I have full confidence in the whole squad.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Are these Pep Guardiola\u2019s mind games?<\/h2>\n

Well, Manchester City won to stay right behind Arsenal in the title race. So, it is hard to criticise Guardiola\u2019s decision. On the contrary, it looks like a masterstroke.<\/p>\n

As for Chelsea\u2019s advantage, it is hard to imagine that there is much in that. These teams are used to playing every three days. And a trip to London is not going to be much of a factor, to be honest.<\/p>\n

It is a slight advantage at best. This might be just Guardiola trying to take some pressure off his team while also putting a bit on Chelsea at the same time.<\/p>\n

Can Chelsea beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final?<\/h2>\n

Anything can happen in a final. That being said, it has been quite a while since Chelsea beat Man City. In fact, the last time was when they lifted the Champions League in 2021. That feels like a lifetime ago. In many ways, it was. That was a completely different squad, club setup and ownership structure.<\/p>\n

That is what Chelsea should be trying to become again. Winning against Man City in the FA Cup final would be a positive step in that direction.<\/p>\n

Of course, that is easier said than done. Chelsea will be underdogs on the day and their recent record at Wembley won\u2019t fill anybody with confidence as they have constantly lost domestic cup finals, even pre-dating this ownership. Let\u2019s just say, if they win, it will come as a surprise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sourav<\/div>\n

Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade.
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\nHis work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow.
\n
\nOutside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.<\/p>\n

View all articles \u2192<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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