Manchester United go up against bitter rivals Manchester City in the 2022-23 FA Cup final. The Citizens are arguably the best team on the planet right now, but can Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils upset their neighbours?
United & City Lock Horns in the Capital
Rivals Man United and Man City square off in an all-Manchester FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in June. Looking at today’s football odds, City are the clear favourites. You can get FA Cup odds of just 1/2 for Pep Guardiola’s men to win the final in the 90. As for United, they are available at 9/2 to win in normal time.
The FA Cup final will be the third meeting between the two sides this season. It was a nine-goal thriller when they locked horns at the Etihad Stadium in October, with City running out 6-3 winners. United got revenge in the reverse league fixture in January, battling back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Old Trafford. Who will win the first-ever Manchester final?
Successful First Season for Ten Hag
Whatever happens from now until the end of the 2022-23 season, it has been a successful first year in English football for Ten Hag. The Red Devils have all but secured a place in next term’s UEFA Champions League via their league position, which was the main aim before a ball was kicked this term.
One final step 👣#MUFC || #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/SWbcSFgwPF
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 22, 2023
United may have come up short in the UEFA Europa League, but Ten Hag guided the club to their first trophy for six years in February. Man United beat Newcastle United at Wembley to win the EFL Cup.
Casemiro’s effort sent them on their way, and Marcus Rashford doubled United’s advantage six minutes before half time. The Red Devils held on against the Magpies to get their hands on the Carabao Cup trophy.
Dutchman Recovers from Woeful Start
Ten Hag’s reign at Old Trafford got off to the worst possible start, as Graham Potter’s Brighton & Hove Albion claimed a 2-1 win at the Theatre of Dreams in his first match in charge. The Dutchman then saw his players hammered 4-0 at Brentford on matchday two.
However, Ten Hag quickly got his philosophies across and has since stamped his authority in the red half of Manchester. Their record at home since the Brighton defeat has been sensational.
Ten Hag boasts the best winning ratio of any Man United manager during his first year in charge. After 50 games, the boss had a 70% winning record, which is a phenomenal achievement. Not even the great Sir Alex Ferguson managed to match that.
Erik ten Hag has the most wins as a Manchester United manager in their debut season 👹👔✅ pic.twitter.com/xf0XDjhU42
— LiveScore (@livescore) May 20, 2023
Make no mistake, Man United are the big underdogs in the upcoming FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s superstars are gunning for a historic treble, which Man United pulled off back in 1999. They have won the Premier League and face Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Having already seen off their rivals this year, Ten Hag’s Man United will fancy their chances of causing another upset when the two Manchester giants do battle in June. We are all set for what promises to be a special final in the capital.
