Guardiola Faces Challenge as Man City Prepares for FA Cup Final Against Chelsea

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has disclosed that his squad has not trained since their Wednesday victory over Crystal Palace, ahead of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday. With City already securing the League Cup this season, their fixture list has been particularly demanding, featuring a relentless series of Premier League and FA Cup matches in pursuit of a historic domestic treble. Guardiola expressed concern over the rushed preparation, stating, "I would prefer to have seven days like Chelsea had, but when you reach the final of the Carabao Cup and win one of these domestic trophies, then you have less days." He acknowledged, "The schedule is what it is. Of course, it's not ideal but we did it in the past and we'll have to do it tomorrow. The big clubs, when you are in more difficult circumstances than the opponent, you do extra to try to do it." He admitted, "It's not the perfect scenario to prepare for the final because we didn't train absolutely anything since Crystal Palace. But I rely a lot on what we have to do and we're going to try." This marks City’s fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance, and Guardiola aims for his side to "do better than the last two times," referencing previous losses to Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace last year. He emphasized the significance of the occasion: "It is the FA Cup final at Wembley with two prestigious clubs, with our fans that make an incredible effort to come down to London - which today is not cheap - and try to perform as good as possible to win." Wembley holds special significance for Guardiola, who lifted the Champions League trophy there with Barcelona. He humorously remarked about his frequent visits, saying, "I'm so disappointed with English football for not making a stand for Pep... Maybe I need to go 24 more times." On team news, Guardiola confirmed that a late fitness assessment would be conducted for midfielder Rodri, while the rest of the squad is fit and available.

Source: The Independent Sport - 2026-05-15