FA Cup Final Preview

Guardiola expressed his strong desire for his players to lift the FA Cup trophy this weekend. Despite a challenging season where City has not secured titles in the Premier League or Champions League, he insists that the FA Cup holds great value for the team.

“That is the problem, the FA Cup now is not the first choice,” Guardiola explained. “Not anything is enough. Of course we want it. Now we are here, we want to lift the trophy. We are disappointed with our performances this season but I’m pretty sure we will perform well and compete against them [Palace].”

Manchester City has the opportunity to secure the FA Cup for the eighth time in their history, a feat that underscores their competitive legacy.

Injury Updates

As the final approaches, Guardiola confirmed no new injury concerns within the squad. The focus includes the potential return of midfielder Rodri, who has been sidelined since September due to a knee injury. He has recently resumed training.

“I’m waiting on the doctors,” said Guardiola when asked about Rodri’s availability. “When they tell me he’s ready, he’s going to start. We don’t want to take a risk and make a setback.”

Following the FA Cup final, City has two additional Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Fulham before heading to the United States for the Club World Cup in June.

Future Speculations

Guardiola also faced inquiries regarding transfer targets for the upcoming summer, specifically focusing on Florian Wirtz. The young German midfielder is being considered as a possible successor to Kevin De Bruyne.

However, Guardiola preferred to steer conversations away from transfer discussions at this crucial juncture. “It’s not the time to talk about it before the final of an FA Cup,” he stated firmly. “I have 24 exceptional players, I don’t want to talk for one second about the future.”