Manchester City v Crystal Palace FA Cup Final Preview & Betting Options 

• Date: Saturday 17^th May 2025   
• Time: 15.00 GMT (to be confirmed)  
• Location: Wembley Stadium, London 
• Odds (outright winner): Manchester City 4/11* – Crystal Palace 2/1* 

Crystal Palace surprised many by defeating Aston Villa to reach the FA Cup final. Still, the Eagles have been superb in the competition this season, and Oliver Glasner’s side is on the verge of history as they meet Man City in the FA Cup final.  

It will be Palace’s first major domestic silverware if they defeat seven-time winners City. Do they have what it takes to win at Wembley and prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from securing their only silverware of this disappointing campaign?  

Join us as we preview the FA Cup final and explore your betting options at talkSPORT BET Sportsbook.  

Manchester City v Crystal Palace Betting Tips  

• Man City v Crystal Palace is often a high-scoring encounter. Twenty-two goals have been scored in the past five Premier League meetings between these two, resulting in an average of 4.4 goals per game. So, consider betting on over 2.5 or even 3.5 goals being scored in this one.  

• Keen to place a correct score wager ahead of the 2025 FA Cup final? Three of the last five Wembley finals have ended 2-1. Also, both of these teams’ previous FA Cup final appearances ended 2-1. Both teams lost by this scoreline to Manchester United: Palace in 2016, and City in 2023. So, 2-1, probably to Man City, is a decent bet.  

• Erling Haaland might be back for the FA Cup final, so monitor his progress if you plan a first scorer wager. A good alternative would be Joško Gvardiol, who has five PL goals this season and scored a brilliant header in the FA Cup semi-final against Forest. He’s a goalscoring defender and always poses a threat from set plays. 

This Fixture in History  

Crystal Palace have never won the FA Cup. However, the Eagles have appeared in two finals – losing in 1990 and 2016. If they beat Man City at Wembley, it will be their first major domestic silverware.  

Manchester City, on the other hand, are FA Cup specialists, having won the competition seven times. Their most recent win came in 2023, when they defeated Manchester United 2-1. 2025 will be their third successive FA Cup final appearance.  

As for head-to-heads between Manchester City and Crystal Palace, the Eagles have recently struggled against City in the Premier League. In fact, Palace have only beaten City twice in ten years, and both wins came at the Etihad Stadium.  

As Newcastle United proved earlier in this season with their confident 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, anything can happen at Wembley and form and head-to-head records often go out of the window. So, while City have been dominant against Palace recently, the Eagles could well soar in the FA Cup final this season. 

Manchester City Man to Watch: Mateo Kovačić 

Mateo Kovačić purred like a Rolls-Royce in Manchester City’s midfield as they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the semi-final. The Croatian is finally establishing himself as a crucial player for Pep Guardiola, and he controlled every aspect of City’s semi-final triumph, leaving the field to a standing ovation in injury time.  

It will be Kovačić’s fourth FA Cup final appearance, and he will hope to end his losing streak at Wembley. The Croatian lost the 2020 and 2022 finals with Chelsea, and he lost again last season as City were defeated in the 2024 final by their rivals, Manchester United. So, with added incentive to win, Kovačić will likely be City’s star man again as his side prepares for the challenge of Crystal Palace.  

Crystal Palace Man to Watch: Eberechi Eze  

England international Eberechi Eze is Crystal Palace’s most exciting player, and he has enjoyed a brilliant season with the Eagles so far. He has four PL goals and three FA Cup goals to his name this campaign, and he was the star man against Aston Villa in the semi-final, scoring a sensational first-half goal to set Palace on their way to victory.  

His lightning pace may cause Guardiola to rethink City’s approach in the final, and with Ismaïla Sarr on the other flank, Palace will undoubtedly cause Manchester City problems. 

How to Bet on the FA Cup Final at talkSPORT BET  

Bet on the FA Cup final by creating an account at talkSPORT BET. Visit our homepage and click the “Sign Up” button. Then, follow the prompts, complete the registration form, and verify your contact information.  

You can then visit our offers page, make a deposit, and decide which bets to place. We encourage you to bet within your means on the FA Cup final. Please visit our Safer Gambling Portal for tools, tips, and further information relating to responsible gambling.  

FA Cup Final Betting Markets  

Here are some of your betting options at talkSPORT BET ahead of this showcase match at Wembley Stadium:  

• Winner: Bet whether Manchester City or Crystal Palace will win the 2025 FA Cup final.  

• Total goals: Place a wager on the number of goals you think will be scored in the FA Cup final, over or under a specific number. Three goals have been scored in the last two FA Cup finals.  

• First scorer: Will Rico Lewis score early again and be the first on the scoresheet for a second successive City game at Wembley Stadium? Back any player to score first or place a wager on any Palace or City player to find the net at any time.  

• Correct score: Will the third successive FA Cup final involving Manchester City finish 2-1? You can bet on the final score ahead of the 2025 FA Cup final.  

FAQs  

*Odds correct at the time of writing.