Pep Guardiola and Callum McFarlane (Photo by Naomi Baker, Carl Lecine/Getty Images)
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola says Erling Haaland will finish Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium without scoring.
Haaland is one of the best forwards in world football, but he has surprisingly underperformed at Wembley despite appearing in 15 games since moving to the Etihad Stadium.
The Norway international will be hoping to find some form in this crucial match, as City will be desperate to end their recent poor run in the FA Cup final.
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Since winning the competition as part of their treble-winning season, City have reached the FA Cup final twice, losing both times, losing 2-1 to Manchester United in 2024 and 1-0 to Crystal Palace in 2025.
Josep Guardiola backs Erling Haaland’s goal in FA Cup final against Chelsea
See below. In his pre-match press conference, Guardiola was asked about Haaland’s shockingly poor performance at Wembley, and the Spanish tactician joked that he loves these performances and thinks the 25-year-old will finally score in this game…
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City would normally be heavy favorites against this out-of-form Chelsea side, but Chelsea look set to miss out on European football this season.
Still, with a one-off game like this, there is certainly hope that the west Londoners can bag some silverware this term and ensure the 2025/26 season doesn’t turn out to be a complete failure.
Meanwhile, Guardiola will be targeting a cup final win at Wembley this season after defeating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final in March.
If things go well in the final two games of the Premier League season, City could even win the domestic treble.
