Saturday’s game will be the 145th FA Cup final, but the first to be contested by the Blues and Manchester City.

Since 2016/17, Manchester City and Chelsea have been the FA Cup’s most successful sides, with City winning 45 matches to Chelsea’s 37.

The two clubs also lead the way for goals scored (159 and 111 respectively) and clean sheets kept (28 and 26).

Head-to-head

Chelsea and Manchester City face each other in the FA Cup for the tenth time, and fourth at Wembley.

Previous FA Cup meetings

We have played Man City at Wembley six times. Apart from the three FA Cup semi-finals listed above, we won the Full Members’ Cup 5-4 in 1986, lost the 2018 Community Shield (0-2) and were defeated in the 2019 League Cup final on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Only Chelsea vs Manchester United has been played at the stadium more often (nine times).

We have played Manchester City three times before in cup finals:

1986 Full Members’ Cup at Wembley – won 5-4
2019 League Cup at Wembley – lost on penalties after a 0-0 draw AET
2021 Champions League at Estadio do Drago, Porto – won 1-0

Chelsea’s last win in this fixture was in the Champions League final in Porto in May 2021.

Head-to-head (all competitions)

Played: 182
Won: 71
Drawn: 43
Lost: 68

Biggest win for each team:

Chelsea 6-0 Manchester City | 2007/08 | Premier League
Man City 6-0 Chelsea | 2018/19 | Premier League

Chelsea stats

Best seasons in the FA Cup

Winners: 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018
Runners-up: 1915, 1967, 1994, 2002, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022

Chelsea are competing in our 38th major cup final and 31st since 1997.

The Blues are appearing in our 17th FA Cup final and are aiming to lift the trophy for a ninth time. Only Manchester United (22) and Arsenal (21) have reached more finals, and only those two clubs have won the competition more often.

Chelsea’s eight FA Cups have been won under eight different managers. Calum McFarlane is looking to make it nine.

Since we last won the FA Cup in 2018 against Man Utd, we have lost six finals at Wembley (three FA Cup and three League Cup). The last Chelsea player to score in a final at Wembley was Christian Pulisic in the 2020 FA Cup final against Arsenal, played behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

However, since 2018, we have lifted a further five major trophies all won outside of England – 2018/19 Europa League in Baku against Arsenal, 2020/21 Champions League in Porto against Man City, 2021/22 FIFA Intercontinental Cup (formally Club World Cup) in Abu Dhabi against Palmeiras, 2024/25 Conference League in Wroclaw against Real Betis and 2024/25 Club World Cup in New Jersey against PSG.

Only Manchester City (16) have won more games at the new Wembley Stadium as a neutral venue than Chelsea (15) since it opened in 2007.

Our semi-final against Leeds drew 85,542 fans, compared with 70,053 for Man City vs Southampton the previous day.

We have kept a clean sheet in three of our past four FA Cup games, only conceding three goals in our five matches in the competition this season.

Chelsea have scored 11 goals in the FA Cup this season since we last conceded.

Chelsea's run to the final

Third round | Charlton Athletic (A) | W 5-1
Fourth round | Hull City (A) | W 4-0
Fifth round | Wrexham (A) | W 4-2 (aet)
Quarter-finals | Port Vale (H) | W 7-0
Semi-final | Leeds (N) | W 1-0

FA Cup scorers
Neto 4, Estevao 2, Fernandez 2 (1 pen), Garnacho 2 (1 pen), Hato 2, Joao Pedro 2, Tosin 2, Acheampong 1, Guiu 1, Santos 1, own goals 2

FA Cup assists
Delap 3, Essugo 2, Neto 2, Estevao 1, Fernandez 1, Guiu 1, Gusto 1

Both Chelsea and Manchester City have scored 21 FA Cup goals this season and conceded three. Only in 1969/70 (25) have the Blues ever netted more in the competition in one season.

Interim head coach Calum McFarlane is the first English manager to reach an FA Cup final since Frank Lampard with Chelsea in 2020.

He is also the first interim head coach to lead Chelsea in a final since Roberto Di Matteo did so in 2012, when he guided the Blues to the FA Cup and Champions League finals, winning both titles.

McFarlane won the Under-18s Premier League National title in 2022 as assistant coach of Manchester City.

In his five games as interim head coach, Calum McFarlane has overseen a Wembley win over Leeds and draws at Manchester City and Liverpool, with Enzo Fernandez scoring all of Chelsea’s goals in those games.

Fernandez has now been involved in 20 goals for Chelsea this season in all competitions (14 goals, six assists).

If the scores are level after 90 minutes of the FA Cup final, there will be 30 minutes extra time and if necessary, penalties.

We won our most recent penalty shoot-out 4-2 against Newcastle in the League Cup quarter-final in December 2023.

Four of Chelsea’s current squad have won FA Cup medals – Trevoh Chalobah for Chelsea as an unused sub in 2018, Wesley Fofana for Leicester (against Chelsea) in 2021, Cole Palmer as an unused sub for Man City in 2023 and Alejandro Garnacho for Man Utd in 2024.

Milestones

If selected, Trevoh Chalobah will make his 150th appearance for the club.

Enzo Fernandez’s next start will be his 150th for Chelsea.

Pedro Neto is one game away from a half-century of games for Chelsea this season.

Manchester City stats

This season

Premier League: 2nd
FA Cup: Finalists
League Cup: Winners
Champions League: Round of 16
Top scorer: Erling Haaland with 37 goals in 50 appearances in all comps

Best seasons in the FA Cup

Winners: 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011, 2019, 2023
Runners-up: 1926, 1933, 1955, 1981, 2013, 2024, 2025

After beating Arsenal in this season’s League Cup final, Man City are chasing a domestic cup double for the second time (after 2018/19).

With all the matches coming under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City are the first-ever side to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals.

Manchester City have lost the past two FA Cup finals, to Manchester United and Crystal Palace.

City have won eight and drawn one of their past nine matches in all competitions since their last defeat to Real Madrid in March. They have scored three goals in each of their past three games.

In the last two seasons of the FA Cup, no player has been involved in more goals than Jeremy Doku (three goals, five assists).

Man City's run to the final

Third round | Exeter City (h) | W 10-1
Fourth round | Salford City (h) | W 2-0
Fifth round | Newcastle United (a) | W 3-1
Quarter-finals | Liverpool (h) | W 4-0
Semi-finals | Southampton (Wembley) | W 2-1

FA Cup scorers
Haaland 3 (1 pen), Lewis 2, Marmoush 2, Semenyo 2, Alleyne 1, Doku 1, Gonzalez 1, Guehi 1, McAidoo 1, O’Reilly 1, Reijnders 1, Rodri 1, Savinho 1, Own goals 3

Man City won their last penalty shoot-out, against Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley in August 2024.

Pep Guardiola’s management record vs Chelsea

Won: 16
Drawn: 8
Lost: 8

Last five Man City results

Burnley (a) PL | W 1-0
Southampton (Wembley) FAC | W 2-1
Everton (a) PL | D 3-3
Brentford (h) PL | W 3-0
Crystal Palace (h) PL | W 3-0

FA Cup semi-final line-up

Manchester City 2-1 Southampton
Saturday 25 April

Team (4-3-2-1):Trafford; Nunes, Stones (c), Ake, Ait-Nouri (O’Reilly 71); Reijnders (B Silva 85), Gonzalez, Kovacic (Doku 58); Cherki, Foden (Savinho 58); Marmoush (Haaland 71)
Goals: Doku 82, Gonzalez 87

Discipline

There are no suspensions.

Match officials

Referee: Darren England
Assistants: Tim Wood and Akil Howson
Fourth official: Sam Barrott
Reserve assistant referee: Steve Meredith
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton

Darren England is officiating his fifth Chelsea match this season, the most recent being our 2-1 defeat against Arsenal in March.

It will be the first time he has refereed an FA Cup final, having previously been the fourth official at the 2025 final and an assistant referee at the 2015 final.

Assistant referee Akil Howson will become the first black official to feature in an FA Cup final.