Pep Guardiola made it clear- winning the FA Cup this year does NOT redeem this season. Of course, it doesn’t mean this team won’t still go all out and try to beat Crystal Palace on Saturday- you know they will! However, this team will be without the services of Oscar Bobb, Nathan Ake, John Stones and almost certainly Rodri, in their quest to do so.
Let’s get you caught up to speed with the Man City team news. Here’s the latest on the quartet.
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
Man City Team News
Guardiola, on Friday, said the following about Oscar Bobb (thigh/hamstring) and Nathan Ake (ankle/foot):
“Still, they are not available. They’ve started training with us, partially, but they’re still not available.”
It’s basically Championship Sunday or their season is already over.
The same situation applies to John Stones (thigh) whom Pep has not given a public update on, in well, about a month.
Finally, with Rodri, the race is on to see if he can still feature again before the season concludes; which is really something, considering how definitively he was ruled out for all of the 2024-25 campaign.
He’s maybe around a 50/50 proposition at this point, but his chances are probably better than Oscar Bobb, Ake and Stones.
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