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    Early team news ahead of FA Cup final

    by
    Matthew Holt
    Wednesday 31 May 2023 12:30

    Manchester United will face our crosstown rivals Manchester City in the 2023 Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium this weekend.

    The Reds have a chance to make it a domestic-cup double with victory over Pep Guardiola's side in the capital, as we pursue the perfect end to an already impressive first season in charge for Erik ten Hag.

    City, however, still have the chance to claim a treble themselves, with the Premier League title already in the bag. The Blues will face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final, seven days on from our FA Cup meeting.

    While Anthony Martial ruled out with a hamstring strain, Erik faces some selection headaches over his starting XI for the weekend.

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    The big question remains on whether or not forward Antony will be fit to face City, having been forced off in our penultimate Premier League game of the season against Chelsea on 25 May.

    Having collided heavily with Blues defender Trevor Chalobah, the winger left the field of play on a stretcher, with Ten Hag providing something of a positive update regarding our no.21's fitness following our most-recent victory over Fulham.

    "We've all seen how he came off and it didn't look great but the first assessment is not too bad, there is a good opportunity he is available for the cup final next week,'' said the boss just days ago.
    Top scorer Marcus Rashford returned to start and lead the line in our 2-1 victory on Sunday, with our no.10 fit again after his recent injury lay-off.

    Luke Shaw was an unused substitute against the Cottagers after his withdrawal at the break of our 4-1 win over Chelsea, but his presence in the matchday squad last time out is surely a positive sign ahead of this weekend

    Scott McTominay featured in the closing stages after replacing Casemiro. It was the Scotland international's third successive cameo from the bench, having returned from missing large parts of April and May.

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    Donny van de Beek was again pictured at Carrington earlier this week, as the 26-year-old continues to step up his return to full fitness, following the knee injury he sustained back in January.

    Marcel Sabitzer and Lisandro Martinez are also long-term absentees for the Reds, while goalkeeper Tom Heaton has returned to first-team training in recent weeks.

    Next up: the FA Cup final!

     Gallery

    See 20 images from Monday's session at Carrington, where a group of Reds were recovering from the Fulham win.

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    MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS

    Pep Guardiola could provide an update ahead of the final on Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias later this week.

    The quartet missed City's 1-0 defeat at Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season last weekend with unspecified problems, and it remains unclear whether they will be available for the upcoming Wembley showdown at present.

    HAVE YOUR SAY

    Share your pre-match opinions via the topical polls below - vote now and see if other Reds agree with you...

    What's your gut feeling about Antony's potential involvement at Wembley? He's working hard to be fit...poll

    What's your gut feeling about Antony's potential involvement at Wembley? He's working hard to be fit...

    With Anthony Martial ruled out, who will start up front at Wembley?poll

    With Anthony Martial ruled out, who will start up front at Wembley?

    How do you feel right now about the final?poll

    How do you feel right now about the final?

    In terms of action, what kind of game do you expect?poll

    In terms of action, what kind of game do you expect?

    When will it be decided?poll

    When will it be decided?

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