Erling Haaland will endeavour to end an unwanted personal scoring record when Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
After missing seven games with an ankle injury, Haaland was unable to score on his return to the starting lineup when the Citizens were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with already-relegated Southampton in the Premier League last weekend.
The Norwegian, who was starved of service at St Mary’s, is expected to lead the line once again in Man City’s third successive FA Cup final and is hoping to fire the club to an eighth triumph in the competition’s history.
Even though Man City have endured a below-par 2024-25 campaign, Haaland has been as prolific as ever in front of goal, scoring 30 times in 41 appearances across all tournaments, a staggering 20 goals more than teammate Phil Foden who is his nearest challenger at the club with 10 goals.
Haaland has also scored nine goals in as many FA Cup games since joining Man City three seasons ago, but his record at Wembley Stadium leaves little to be desired.
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Haaland seeking to score first-ever Wembley goal for Man City
Indeed, City’s No.9 has failed to score in any of his five appearances for the club at the home of English football, with three of those coming in the FA Cup – it is the most matches the striker has played for the Citizens at a specific venue without finding the net (followed by Anfield, three).
Ahead of the final, Haaland has expressed how important it is for Man City to continue winning trophies and is keen to win another this weekend after what has been a “horrific” and “boring” season.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “This season has been tough. It is not nice to lose so many games. It is boring and not fun. That’s why we need to finish well and get a trophy.
“It is a good habit to reach Wembley and always important to win trophies. We have the FA Cup final to play for and in a horrific season we still managed to do this.”
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Haaland still hopeful to end “horrific” season on a high
Haaland added: “When you have won four league titles in a row, if you don’t win five it’s not going to be a successful season. Those are the standards we have set. We haven’t done good enough in the league but still hoping for Champions League qualification.
“Crystal Palace are a really difficult club to play against. At Selhurst Park we drew (2-2 in December) and they started really well at the Etihad (in City’s 5-2 win last month). They are an amazing team with quality players.”
Haaland will relish coming up against Crystal Palace, as he has scored six goals in just four meetings with the Eagles (all in the Premier League), with a hat-trick in his first outing followed by three goals in three games.
Meanwhile, manager Pep Guardiola will attempt to draw level with Sir Alex Ferguson in achieving an impressive record when the Citizens lock horns with the Eagles at Wembley.
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