Manchester City overwhelming favourites to lift FA Cup

And while City have stagnated in the league in 2012-13, another success would still represent a decent year for Roberto Mancini’s side.

Manchester City will look to win their third trophy in as many years when they battle Wigan in today’s FA Cup Final at Wembley.

The Etihad Stadium outfit broke a 35-year trophy drought with victory over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup Final, which they followed up with a dramatic final-day Premier League title win last season.

And while City have stagnated in the league in 2012-13, another success would still represent a decent year for Roberto Mancini’s side.

Manchester City’s run to this season’s final has seen them concede just one goal in five matches, with the club barely raising a sweat in easy home wins against Championship sides Watford, Leeds United and Barnsley. They also won away at Stoke, in the fourth round, before saving their most impressive performance for a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea in the semi-final.

Carlos Tevez has netted five goals in as many FA Cup appearances for City, while Sergio Aguero has scored three times in the competition.

Wigan’s run to the decider has seen them face Premier League opposition just once, while all five of their wins have been on the road.

Slender 1-0 successes against AFC Bournemouth and Macclesfield Town were followed by a 4-1 thrashing of Huddersfield Town.
Roberto Martinez’s side were at their best in a 3-0 win at Everton in the quarter-finals, while goals to Shaun Maloney and Callum McManaman saw them beat Millwall 2-0 at Wembley last month.
McManaman and Jordi Gomez have netted three goals each for Wigan in the FA Cup this season.

City will be hopeful that Wigan are distracted by their current plight in the Premier League, with the DW Stadium outfit three points adrift of safety with just two matches to play. City need just one point from their final two league fixtures to sew up second place on the table, although they will be disappointed at being beaten to the title by rivals Manchester United.

They will be sweating on the fitness of midfield star Yaya Toure (muscle fatigue) while attacker Scott Sinclair (shoulder) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Wigan defenders Antolin Alcaraz (hamstring), Ivan Ramis (knee), Maynor Figueroa (groin) and Ronnie Stam (leg) will not play in the final, while Jean Beausejour (hamstring) is unlikely to feature either.

The two Premier League meetings between the sides this season have ended in City wins, with Mancini’s men winning 2-0 at the DW Stadium in November before Tevez scored in a 1-0 triumph last month in Manchester.

City have won the last seven clashes against Wigan, who have not beaten Saturday’s opponents since September 2008 when goals from Antonio Valencia and Amr Zaki gave them a 2-1 home triumph.
A repeat of that result today is unlikely, as a determined City look likely to add to their trophy cabinet again.