Manchester City will go into their FA Cup final against Wigan Athletic as massive favourites. With the league title out of reach, the FA Cup is their last chance of claiming some silverware.
Wigan however will be keen on a first FA Cup triumph as well, despite their ongoing late-season battle to avoid relegation.
Wigan are in the relegation zone and will need to win their last two games. That however is easier said than done when those games are against the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Avoiding relegation will be the main priority, but an FA Cup upset will be on their minds as well when they take on City at the Wembley Stadium.
With Manchester City’s title hopes over, the FA Cup is their last chance for a title this season, and Roberto Mancini will know that a win at the Wembley will give him a much better shot of still being the Citizens’ manager for the next season.
The facts
Wigan Athletic, who are currently 18th in the Premier League, are hoping to avoid being the sixth club to appear in an FA Cup final and be relegated in the same season. Manchester City (1926), Leicester City (1969), Brighton (1983), Middlesbrough (1997) and Portsmouth (2010) all appeared in the final and were also relegated, with each of them also losing the final.
This will be the first final in which both managers will have the same first name, since Matt Busby’s Manchester United beat Leicester City, who were managed by Matt Gillies, in 1963.
The final will be an important match for both, however you look at it. This is Manchester City’s 10th FA Cup final, but Wigan’s first.
The match will be an interesting one. Will Wigan rise to the challenge? Or will Manchester City have too much class?
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