Wayne Rooney makes ‘desperate’ Manchester United FA Cup final prediction moments before kick-off vs Manchester City
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has made a 'desperate' prediction of a victory for the Red Devils in their crunch FA Cup final clash with Manchester City today.
The city rivals meet in the competition's showpiece clash for the second consecutive year, with the Sky Blues beating United 2-1 in last year's final en route to completing a historic treble.
United will be out to gain revenge, but the contrasting form of the two Manchester giants mean the odds are stacked in City's favor once again. The latter have won their last seven games in all competitions and remain unbeaten in 36.
Rooney, a United legend with almost 400 league appearances for the side in 13 years, said he is "desperate" to see his former club win this one. Speaking on BBC, the 38-year-old said:
“I am desperate for #mufc to win this… I’m going 2-1 United.”
The FA Cup remains the last hope of a silverware for Manchester United this season following a poor campaign overall. The Red Devils wrapped up their worst ever Premier League season last weekend by finishing in eighth position with only 60 points from 38 games.
Rumor has it, that head coach Erik ten Hag will be sacked by the club regardless of today's result, as United is set to incur huge losses upon missing out on European football for next season.
Manchester United staring at third consecutive FA Cup final loss
Since lifting the FA Cup trophy in 2016, Manchester United have reached the finals twice more, losing on both occasions. In the 2018 final, Chelsea beat them in a narrow 1-0 victory, before Manchester City prevailed 2-1 over them last year.
If the side loses again today, it could mark their third consecutive loss in the competition's finals, joining Chelsea for an unwanted record. The Blues lost three finals in a row between 2020 and 2022, though in a small consolation, United's record wouldn't come in consecutive years.
Regardless, that hardly eclipses the side's failures in the big cup moments, as the Red Devils also came up short in the Europa League final in 2021. The Carabao Cup win last year has been the only exception.