United to go all out in Cup clash
By Mark Gleeson
The two Manchester clubs have had some fiery clashes over the decades, but this Saturday’s clash at Wembley is the first time they will meet in a FA Cup final in the competition’s 152-year history.
City travel to Wembley still on target to equal United’s historic treble in 1998-99, which for now remains a unique achievement in English football.
Pep Guardiola’s side then face Inter Milan in the Champions League decider on 10 June, having already wrapped up the English Premier League title, and will start favourites to win this Saturday at Wembley.
But United will be hoping to add to their League Cup win from earlier in the season and stop a City treble in the process, thus taking some bragging rights back to the streets of Manchester before next season.
United manager Erik Ten Hag says: “We will give everything and when I say everything, that is everything, more than 100% you can’t do. The fans can rely on that. We want to give that against City, we want to give the fans that.”
The final is the headline game in a R250,000-added Soccer 10 pool that is set to total over R2 million and is one of several cash-boosted TAB soccer pools on the day.
The FA Cup final is followed on Sunday by the first leg of the African Champions League final in Cairo where Al Ahly host holders Wydad Casablanca.
The Egyptian giants are the competitions’ most successful club with 10 previous title wins, while Wydad have only three. Ahly struggled through the group phase, but have come good in the knockout rounds and were in scintillating form in eliminating Esperance of Tunisia in the semi-finals.
Wydad overcame Mamelodi Sundowns on the away-goals rule in their semi-final and have the advantage of playing home in the second leg. They will be concentrating on defence on Sunday in a bid to get away with a clean sheet.
On Saturday the African Confederation Cup will be decided in Algeria with home side USM Alger in the driving seat after beating Young Africans 2-1 away in the first leg of the final in Dar-es-Salaam last Sunday. But Yanga can still carry hopes of an upset as they did win away from home in the semi-final against Marumo Gallants.
The weekend also marks the end of the season in France, Italy and Spain, where the title races are long completed.