Oliver Glasner‘s Eagles have progressed to the iconic showpiece event after beating Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Fulham and Aston Villa, including a comprehensive 3-0 victory over the latter in the semi-final.
Pep Guardiola‘s Citizens are their opponents after getting the better of Salford City, Plymouth Argyle, Leyton Orient, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in the previous five rounds, including a 2-0 win against the latter in their semi-final tie.
Here, Sports Mole picks out the best stats relating to this weekend’s intriguing showdown in the capital.
Crystal Palace are bidding to win their first major trophy in their 120-year existence as a professional football club.
Crystal Palace are competing in their third FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in both 1990 and 2016. They are one of four clubs to compete in two finals without ever winning the trophy along with Queen’s Park (1884 and 1885), Birmingham City (1931 and 1956) and Watford (1984 and 2019).
Crystal Palace have conceded just one goal in the 2024-25 FA Cup so far, while they have scored exactly three goals in their fifth round, quarter-final and semi-final victories this season.
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner is set to become the first Austrian to take charge of a team in the FA Cup final. The last two ‘new’ manager nationalities in the showpiece have lost, with Germany’s Thomas Tuchel suffering defeat against Leicester City in 2021, and Israel’s Avram Grant losing to Chelsea in 2010.
Crystal Palace striker Eddie Nketiah has been involved in a goal in each of his last three FA Cup appearances (two goals, one assist), all as a substitute. The 25-year-old has also won the FA Cup once before, playing eight minutes as a substitute for Arsenal in their 2-1 victory over Chelsea in 2020.
Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze has been involved in four goals in his last four FA Cup games (three goals, one assist) and it was he who fired the Eagles into a 1-0 lead in their semi-final win against Aston Villa. The England international had not registered a single goal or assist in any of his first 14 appearances in the competition.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is the club’s top scorer this season with 17 goals in all competitions. However, the Frenchman has not scored in four FA Cup appearances this term and has only ever found the net twice in 12 FA Cup games overall.
Man City are competing in their 14th FA Cup final. They have won the trophy seven times, behind only Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (eight each).
Man City lost the 2024 FA Cup final 2-1 against rivals Manchester United; only once before have they lost consecutive appearances in major domestic finals (FA Cup/EFL Cup), losing the 1926 and 1933 FA Cup showpieces against Bolton Wanderers and Everton respectively.
None of Man City’s last 44 games in the FA Cup have been drawn (W38 D6), while five of the Citizens’ six defeats in that run have come at Wembley Stadium.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has won the FA Cup twice (2019, 2023) and the EFL Cup four times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). The Catalan coach could become the second manager to win both major English domestic competitions three or more times after Sir Alex Ferguson (five FA Cups, four EFL Cups).
This will be Kevin De Bruyne‘s fourth – and most likely last – FA Cup final appearance with Man City. The Belgian playmaker has been involved in four goals in his previous three final matches in the competition, scoring one and assisting three – he was named Man of the Match in the 6-0 final victory over Watford in 2019.
Kevin De Bruyne has made a total 33 appearances in the FA Cup, scoring 10 goals and registering 18 assists, playing a direct role in more goals than any other player in the competition (from the first round onwards) since his arrival in England a decade ago.
Man City striker Erling Haaland has failed to score in any of his five appearances for the club at Wembley Stadium, with three of those coming in the FA Cup – it is the most games he has played for the Citizens at a specific venue without finding the back of the net (followed by Anfield, three).
Man City’s Nico O’Reilly has had a hand in five goals in this season’s FA Cup (three goals, two assists) – only Exeter City’s Josh Magennis (six) has had a hand in more in the competition proper this term.
Best Crystal Palace vs. Man City head-to-head stats
Man City have won their last three FA Cup meetings with Crystal Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4. The most recent meeting was in the fourth round in 2016-17, with the Citizens winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
Man City are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Crystal Palace across all competitions (W4 D3), since a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in October 2021.
Both teams have scored two or more goals in each of the last four meetings between Crystal Palace and Man City (two 2-2 draws as well as 4-2 and 5-2 victories for the Citizens). The last time two top-flight teams both scored two or more goals in five consecutive encounters was between 1975 and 1977 (Derby County vs. Newcastle United).
Man City came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 in their most recent meeting in the Premier League on April 12. Palace were leading by two goals in the opening 21 minutes through strikes from Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards, but goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly helped City fight back to claim all three points at the Etihad Stadium.
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