Crystal Palace might not feel so bad about their chances in the FA Cup Final on Saturday. Why? Did you see the goalless draw between Manchester City and Southampton FC this past Saturday?
When you drop points against 2024-25 Southampton, one of the worst teams in Premier League history, well, you know you have major problems.
FA Cup Final FYIs
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Kickoff: Sat. May 17, 4:30pm
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Saints are bad, very very bad, so for them to take a point against you says a lot about what kind of place you might be in right now as a team. This is not the kind of momentum that Pep Guardiola’s side needs or wants to have as they head into a cup final.
City, who are in their third straight FA Cup final, could move into a four way tie for third place, on the list of most titles won.
As for Crystal Palace, they have never won this competition, but this is their third appearance in the title game.
Manchester City Starting Lineup Prediction vs Crystal Palace
Ederson; Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic; Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne, Savinho; Erling Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter