Manchester City vs. Stoke City - FA Cup Final: Preview.

Manchester City and Stoke City will descend from the north-west of England onto Wembley Stadium in London for the 130th FA Cup Final - the first in Stoke City's history, and Manchester City's first FA Cup Final in exactly 30 years. Both teams' routes to the FA Cup Final have seen them travel across the country, playing teams of all abilities, and win games nobody thought they would.

Stoke have beaten Cardiff, Wolves, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United and Bolton on the way to their first ever FA Cup Final, while Manchester City have knocked out Leicester, Notts County, Aston Villa, Reading, and their biggest rivals Manchester United to reach the biggest game in their history for many years.


But there is one Wembley Final that Stoke City manager Tony Pulis will want to avenge on Saturday...

Back in 1999, Manchester City and a Tony Pulis lead Gillingham came to the old Wembley Stadium for the Division 2 Play-off Final. Gillingham lead 2-0 through late goals from Robert Taylor (who would go on to play for Manchester City) and Carl Asaba. Manchester City looked destined for doom, until Kevin Horlock's shot into an empty net gave them some hope. And when a long ball forward from Gerard Wiekens was flicked on to Paul Dickov, City dared to dream the impossible. Dickov fired a shot above Gillingham 'keeper Vince Bartram, and made it 2-2. City went on to win on penalties, and Gillingham hearts were broken.

City fans will like to hear this stat: Tony Pulis took Gillingham to Wembley for the first time that season, they lost. This FA Cup Final is Stoke City's first, and Tony Pulis has taken them there... could history repeat itself, or will Pulis finally take a team to glory?


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I'm going to predict a Stoke win in extra-time. City have failed to beat Stoke since a 2-0 win in 2009 - a 2-0 win that was Mancini's first ever game incharge of Manchester City. Since then, Stoke have won one game, and there have been three draws. Stoke actually knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup last season by beating them 3-1 in a replay at the Britannia Stadium. But the man that denied City all three points at the Britannia earlier this season may miss the final due to injury - Matthew Etherington.


Line-ups.

.......................................Hart.......................................
Richards........Kompany............Lescott.............Zabaleta
....................................de Jong......................................
..................Milner........................Yaya Touré................
.....Johnson....................................................Silva.........
....................................Tevez........................................


Subs: Given, Boyata, Kolarov, Vieira, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli, Dzeko.


.......................................Begovic.......................................
Wilkinson...........Pugh.....................Shawcross.........Wilson
..............................Whelan....Whitehead.............................
....Pennant...................................................Delap...............
.............................Walters.........Jones.................................


Subs: Sorensen, Collins, Huth, Diao, Carew, Faye, Shonton.