On Saturday afternoon, treble-chasing Manchester City and bitter rivals and EFL Cup winners Manchester United will square off in the 142nd FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium under the famed arch.
The Citizens are going for an unprecedented seventh win of England's oldest trophy, while the Red Devils are going for an unprecedented 13 wins.
Four years after claiming the first-ever domestic quadruple in English football, Manchester City has a chance to make further history by becoming the first English team to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the same season since Manchester United in 1998-99.
Pep Guardiola's team finished the Premier League season five points clear of nearest contenders Arsenal, making it the sixth time in six seasons that the Citizens have won the league title.
Last Sunday, in their last league match of the season, a heavily rotated City team lost 1-0 at Brentford, snapping their remarkable 25-game undefeated run in all competitions.
But Guardiola has intelligently limited the minutes of his first-team stars over the previous two weeks, and he hopes they have listened to his advise and "disconnected" from the rigors of their rigorous schedule for the massive match against their bitter rivals on Saturday.
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While the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul is just a matter of weeks away, Man City is now focused on the FA Cup and their 12th final in the competition. The Citizens have been in 11 FA Cup finals, winning six and losing five. In 2019, they defeated Watford 6-0 in a resounding victory that tied for the highest margin of victory in FA Cup final history.
Man City have advanced to the FA Cup final after eliminating Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley, and Sheffield United (the latter by a score of 3-0 in the semi-finals thanks to a hat trick from Riyad Mahrez), and they have yet to concede a goal this season. Only Preston North End in 1889 and Bury in 1903 have won the FA Cup without allowing an opponent to score.
Despite being the top scorers in the FA Cup this season with 17, the Citizens have lost four of their last six trips to Wembley and have failed to score in three of those games. However, under Guardiola, the Citizens have a perfect record in major domestic cup finals, winning five in total since his arrival in 2016.
Despite losing 2-1 to Man United at Old Trafford in the most recent Manchester derby in January, Man City will not take their opponents lightly on Saturday in the FA Cup.
Having won their last four Premier League games to secure third place and Champions League football for next season, despite finishing 14 points behind champions Man City, Man United enter their 21st FA Cup final in buoyant mood.
