Paul Merson's prediction for Manchester City vs Manchester United FA Cup Final
The end of the 2023-24 Premier League season went as planned, as Manchester City became champions for the fourth successive season - a league record. Arsenal secured a last-gasp winner against Everton, but it wasn't enough to usurp Pep Guardiola and Co at the top, who won the league by two points.
Elsewhere, Chelsea's decision to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino has been the talk of the town. Since the new owners have come in, I'm not sure what's happening behind the scenes at Chelsea, and the names I'm hearing as Pochettino's replacements are absolutely mindblowing. What's going on at that club?
He got thrown a load of players he didn't want, and some of them were even fighting with each other over penalties and not celebrating goals together! Chelsea were also ravaged by injuries, mind you, so I felt he did well to take them to sixth in the Premier League. It remains to be seen who they appoint, but I was shocked to see him go.
Atalanta's statement 3-0 win in the UEFA Europa League final to end Bayer Leverkusen's historic 51-game unbeaten run means we only have the FA Cup final and the UEFA Champions League final to look forward to.
Much like the end of the Premier League campaign, I can't see any drama in the Manchester City vs Manchester United clash. Shocks have happened in FA Cup finals over the years, but I can't see anything but a Man City win here. Even the staunchest Manchester United fan wouldn't make a case for their side to come out on top here - such is the gulf of class between the two sides.
In terms of expecting a contest, there's absolutely nothing to look forward to, as it just looks so one-sided. Manchester United have had their fair share of injuries this season but when you look at their squad, I don't think they have a reliable spine, so they need a lot of work in the transfer market.
They probably need a centre-half to play alongside Lisandro Martinez. I thought the Argentine would struggle in the Premier League due to his size, but he was really impressive in his first season and really proved me wrong.
Andre Onana hasn't performed well enough to justify his hype, and they don't have a go-to man in midfield, while as good as a talent as Rasmus Hojlund is, I doubt he is ready to lead the line yet.
They need to make up their mind about Erik ten Hag by Monday and think about the next steps, as suddenly, Pochettino is available and was once wanted by INEOS at Nice. I'm not sure how that ended, but I wouldn't be shocked if they swiftly move for him if they decide to part ways with Ten Hag.
Marcus Rashford's omission from the England squad for Euro 2024 has divided opinion. While he didn't have a memorable season for Manchester United, he's the kind of player who could make a difference in tournament football, so I'd have chosen him if I was the boss. When he's hot, he's absolutely unplayable and these are players you want on your side to make the difference on a big day.
Coming back to the game, Manchester City are too good a team to slack off and show up to the game hungover from their title celebrations. They are a well-oiled machine and their mentality is phenomenal, I couldn't talk highly enough of them.
I'd be shocked if Manchester United got anywhere close to winning this one, but they need to score first to have any chance of getting their hands on the trophy. A few years ago, Manchester United always had the counter-attacking threat to cause City problems, and they got a handful of results over their local rivals, but this time, I give them no chance.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United