Manchester City will look to take one step closer to a historic treble when they take on fierce local rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley this Saturday.
Ahead of the game, The Gambling Zone sat down to chat with Ricky Hatton, lifelong Man City fan and former professional boxer, to find out his thoughts on the match, the current United team, and Man City’s talismanic striker, Erling Haaland.
Nerves Will be High in the United Camp
Manchester United are the only team in history to have secured the treble, and they will want to stop Man City in their tracks on Saturday. Hatton believes that this will make them the more nervous of the two teams. ‘I’ve got friends that are big United fans, they are definitely a little bit more worried (than City fans).’
He said that City fans are feeling very confident about Saturday’s encounter. The club have been regulars at Wembley in recent years, with this being their 20th appearance under the iconic arch in the last decade. However, The FA Cup has eluded City for the last few seasons, with this being their first final appearance since they hammered Watford 6-0 in the 2018/19 season.
Unpredictable Finals
Despite his confidence, Hatton is well aware of the unpredictable nature of cup finals. He said, ‘Anything can happen in a final – City lost to Chelsea a couple of years ago in the Champions League final when we were the favourites – United have been used to winning the FA Cup for so many years, so you can’t write them off on Saturday.’
He also praised United’s progress this season but said that it is impossible to compare their campaign with City’s. ‘You can’t compare what they’ve done with City’s achievements this season – they would love to be whacking Real Madrid in Champions League semi-finals like City’.
When talking about United’s current team, he said, ‘They have good players and are starting to play with a little bit more confidence, whereas a few years ago, they were in the doldrums, and the club was going nowhere.’ United finished this season in third place with 75 points, their second-highest points finish since Fergie left.
Hatton confident City will lift the FA Cup
History Beckons
Of course, Hatton also reserved special praise for City’s star striker, Erling Haaland. Speaking about the Norweigan, Hatton described him as the ‘best striker on the planet at this moment in time’.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker has broken several records during his first season in England, including Alan Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring one. Haaland scored an incredible 36 goals in 35 appearances for the Citizens, and he will hope to continue an incredible season with an FA Cup Winners Medal on Saturday.
Manchester City have already wrapped up the Premier League title, sealing the trophy with two games to go after a close battle with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s team will now face back-to-back finals, with the FA Cup being followed one week later by the Champions League Final against Inter Milan in Istanbul.
