Pep Guardiola's side go chasing immortality against Javi Gracia's Hornets, who themselves are seeking a spot in the history books
Manchester City have the opportunity to become the first English club to win the domestic treble on Saturday, when they face Watford in the FA Cup final.
Pep Guardiola’s men first claimed the Carabao Cup by defeating Chelsea on penalties, then produced an astounding winning streak of 14 matches to win the Premier League crown ahead of Liverpool.
The Hornets, meanwhile, are chasing their biggest prize ever, having never won a piece of major silverware before. Indeed, this will be just their second FA Cup final, having last reached this stage 35 years ago in the 1983-84 season.
| Game | Manchester City vs Watford |
| Date | Saturday, May 18 |
| Time | 5:00pm BST / 12:00noon ET |
| Stream ( US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
Next Match
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BBC 1, BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD. It can be streamed on the BT Sport Live app or via BBC iPlayer.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC 1 / BT Sport 1/BT Sport 4K UHD | BT Sport Live / BBC iPlayer |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Man City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Grimshaw, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Laporte, Stones, Otamendi, Sandler, Zinchenko, Kompany, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Gundogan, De Bruyne, B. Silva, D. Silva, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Foden |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus, Sterling, Sane |
Manchester City starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko; Bernardo, Gundogan, Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling
| Position | Watford squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Foster, Gomes, Dahlberg |
| Defenders | Mariappa, Kabasele, Cathcart, Britos, Wilmot, Prodl, Masina, Janmaat, Navarro, Femenia, Holebas |
| Midfielders | Cleverley, Capoue, Sema, Pereyra, Chalobah, Doucoure, Hughes, Lazaro |
| Forwards | Deeney, Deulofeu, Success, Gray, Penaranda |
Watford starting XI: Gomes; Mariappa, Deulofeu, Deeney, Cathcart, Doucoure, Hughes, Femenia, Holebas, Capoue, Pereira
Betting & Match Odds
City are overwhelming 2/9 favourites to win this match with Bet365. Watford can be backed at a distant 12/1 while the draw is priced at 13/2.
Match Preview
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Manchester City travel to Wembley with the intention of winning the FA Cup for a sixth time, yet should they find themselves lifting the trophy on Saturday, they will have immortalised themselves in English football folklore for becoming the first side to win the domestic treble.
While their Champions League challenge might have gone awry thanks to Tottenham, there is little doubt that Pep Guardiola’s side have been the outstanding team in England over the course of another goal-laden campaign.
Captain Vincent Kompany, who scored a critical goal in the title race to help his side to a 1-0 win over Leicester in the penultimate round of fixtures, has said it is all about attitude, and for that reason the veteran Belgium defender expects no relent from his team-mates when they hit the capital.
“I know this team and they are like lions. When this team is hungry, they are such a special team. I'm going to do everything I can to put a bit of blood in that water, so this team gets even hungrier,” he promised.
“My style is pretty simple. Every now and then, when things are getting too comfortable, I go a little aggressive in training or I speak up and say what I think.
“But the main thing is that these guys, together with the manager, are always able to understand what the priority is.
“We focus on winning games. Winning one Premier League title was not enough, it had been done before. Back to back – that is special.”
A treble would represent a step up even from that benchmark, with Watford all that is standing between them and history.
The Hornets, who beat three Premier League clubs to book a place in the showpiece, have twice succumbed to the English champions in the league this season, going down 2-1 at home to Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez goals either side of half-time in December, while a Raheem Sterling hat-trick accounted for them at the Etihad on March 9.
They are acutely aware of the challenge facing them at the national stadium but refuse to be awed by their opponents.
“I think Manchester City is the best team in the Premier League, not in the world because their results speak about that. They won the Premier League and they deserve that recognition,” manager Javi Gracia said.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, is eager to take the pressure off his players prior to this match.
“I think I'll feel very proud of my team because this season has been amazing and I said in other moments the success of this season doesn't depend only about the final result,” he said. “It's only one step because we are more ambitious. It's not enough for us, we want to improve. But I think they deserve that recognition.”
Watford will also make a little piece of history if they win this match – and not only because it would be the club’s first major crown. No side finishing in the lower half of the top flight has ever beaten the champions in an FA Cup final.
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