Kovacic returns and Bernardo starts – Man City predicted XI vs Manchester United ahead of FA Cup final

Manchester City are possibly just 90 minutes away from securing a domestic double this season when they take on bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been the model of consistency and professionalism this season, as evidenced by their fourth straight Premier League success. Any hope from United that City could nurse the hangover from last week’s celebrations is probably misplaced.

A 23-man squad descended on London on Friday and it looks like the Blues have almost a full squad to choose from for this afternoon’s big game. Considering this, MEN Sports tried to predict the starting line-up.

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Goalkeeper – Stefan Ortega

While I said City have almost a full squad to choose from, one absentee is Ederson. The Brazilian has a fractured eye socket and is unable to feature, but joined his team-mates on the trip to Wembley for moral support.

In his absence, Ortega has proven to be a more than capable replacement and is almost guaranteed to start ahead of Scott Carson or young True Grant.

Defenders – Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol

It would be hard to give up any of these four guys right now, so we won’t. Nathan Ake’s injury at Fulham ultimately cost him a starting spot in the final, but we can probably expect to see the Dutchman come off the bench when the defense needs a refresh.

Midfielders – Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne

Our only change from the win over West Ham United would be the line-up change which sees Kovacic return to the starting XI. Interestingly, Guardiola opted to bring Jeremy Doku into the squad on Sunday as he expected the Iron to drop deep.

But, we expect the Catalan to be a little wary of the threat United pose, so bringing the former Chelsea man back into the squad seems like a wise move.

Forwards – Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden

As you can see, Doku is the man to drop to the bench again, but only because this current forward line is too strong to break. Foden is the first name on the team sheet at the moment, while Bernardo has been consistently excellent this season.

Haaland will be eager to score against an opponent he likes to play against, so we can expect him to be a threat from the start.