Man City is chasing a treble. Chelsea is in turmoil. FA Cup final looks like a mismatch, but is it?
This season's FA Cup has already delivered the biggest upset in its 155-year history. While, on the face of it, victory for Chelsea against Manchester City in Saturday's final would not go down as one of the more memorable shocks in the history of soccer's oldest knockout competition, it would certainly upset the odds. City is still in contention for a domestic treble of trophies, having already won the English League Cup.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — This season's FA Cup has already delivered the biggest upset in its 155-year history . Why not one more? While, on the face of it, victory for Chelsea against Manchester City in Saturday's final would not go down as one of the more memorable shocks in the history of soccer's oldest knockout competition, it would certainly upset the odds.
Consider the fortunes of both teams going into the Wembley showpiece. City is still in contention for a domestic treble of trophies, having already won the English League Cup . It is second in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal with two rounds to go, and has only lost one domestic match since the end of November.
The form is certainly with Pep Guardiola's team, even if his current class feels below the standard of his greatest in his time at City. Chelsea, meanwhile, despite spending more than $1 billion to assemble a squad that won the Club World Cup less than a year ago, is in turmoil. Two coaches have been fired since the turn of the year.
Liam Rosenior lasted less than four months and was shown the door in April after a run of seven losses in eight games in all competitions. The record has hardly improved since then, with Chelsea still without a league win in seven games and looking likely to miss out on Champions League qualification next season. It is relying on a novice interim coach to try to end the campaign on a high note and deny Guardiola what would be his 17th major trophy at City and his 35th overall.
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