Chelsea vs Man City: FA Cup final preview, predictions and bet builder tips

Chelsea vs Manchester City match details

Fixture: Chelsea vs Manchester City
Competition: FA Cup Final
Date: Saturday, 16 May, 2026
Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Venue: Wembley Stadium

Chelsea vs Manchester City match prediction

Our prediction: Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City

Chelsea vs Manchester City predicted lineups

Chelsea

Our predicted XI (3-4-3): Jorgensen / Fofana, Colwill, Hato / Cucurella, Santos, Caicedo, Gusto / Fernandez, Palmer, Pedro

Manchester City

Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Trafford / Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly / Bernardo, Reijnders / Semenyo, Cherki, Doku / Haaland

Chelsea vs Manchester City bet builder tips

Manchester City to lift the trophy

Manchester City head into this final as clear favourites and we’re backing Pep Guardiola’s side to add another trophy to their collection.

Chelsea’s season has unravelled badly despite their run to Wembley. Prior to last week’s draw with Liverpool, the Blues had lost six consecutive Premier League matches while scoring just one goal. That miserable run also included a heavy 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City back in April.

City, meanwhile, have won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions and already lifted the Carabao Cup earlier this season. The historical record also strongly favours Guardiola’s side, with Chelsea failing to beat Manchester City since the 2021 Champions League final.

Given the form, momentum and quality gap between the two sides, our experts are backing City to lift the FA Cup.

Over 2.5 goals to be scored

Recent meetings and current form suggest Wembley could see plenty of goals on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in April comfortably cleared this line, and the wider history between these two sides also points towards goals. A total of 28 goals have been scored across the last ten meetings between Chelsea and City, averaging 2.8 goals per match.

City’s recent fixtures have been particularly entertaining, with an average of 3.2 goals scored across their last five matches in all competitions. Chelsea’s recent league matches have also produced goals, averaging 2.6 goals per game across their last five outings.

All signs point towards another high-scoring encounter at Wembley.

Enzo Fernandez to have 1+ shot on target

Enzo Fernandez has become a much bigger attacking threat under Callum McFarlane and looks good value to test the goalkeeper once again here.

The Argentine midfielder has scored nine Premier League goals this season, including one away at Manchester City earlier in the campaign. Fernandez averages 0.9 shots on target per Premier League match despite spending large portions of the season in a deeper midfield role.

His recent numbers have been even more impressive, with six shots on target across his last five league appearances. Enzo also scored the goal that sent Chelsea into the FA Cup final against Leeds at Wembley, and we expect him to be heavily involved again this weekend.

Nico O'Reilly to have 1+ shot on target

Nico O'Reilly has been one of Manchester City’s breakout stars this season and could once again make his mark at Wembley.

Many expected summer signing Rayan Ait-Nouri to lock down the left-back position, but O'Reilly’s performances have forced his way into Guardiola’s plans. The youngster already delivered in one domestic final this season, scoring twice against Arsenal to help City win the Carabao Cup in March.

Despite playing in defence, O'Reilly regularly finds himself in dangerous attacking areas and has registered eight shots on target across his last ten domestic league matches.

With City expected to dominate possession and create chances, we’re backing O'Reilly to test the Chelsea goalkeeper at least once.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.