Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, De Bruyne, B Silva, Foden, Haaland

Subs: Carson, Dias, Grealish, Doku, Alvarez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis.

Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot, Mainoo, Amrabat, McTominay, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford.

Subs: Bayindir, Lindelof, Mount, Hojlund, Eriksen, Diallo, Casemiro, Antony, Evans.

Interview: The teenager conducts a conversation like he addresses the ball in Manchester United’s midfield: with a cool maturity that has been the calling card of a breakthrough season that may end in FA Cup glory and a place on England’s Euro 2024-bound plane. Jamie Jackson reports …

If Erik ten Hag is sacked after today’s final, Manchester United fans will be gutted to learn that Wayne Rooney will not be available to replace him. Despite his disastrous 15-match spell in charge of Birmingham City earlier this season, United’s former striker and record goalscorer has just been appointed head coach at Championship club Plymouth Argyle.

“To be the first team to do the double Double … the first team to win four in a row, the first team since Manchester United to do the treble: we keep knocking down these hurdles and this is another that we need to knock down,” says the Manchester City captain. Words: Jamie Jackson.

Programme notes: “It has been a long and sometimes difficult season but here we are, on the final day, with an opportunity to secure our second major trophy in two campaigns,” said the Manchester United manager in an interview with the FA. “For all the issues we have had to deal with, I think that says a lot about our personality as a group.

“When you enter any competition you aim to win it so having reached the FA Cup Final, we are here to get our hands on the FA Cup. Of course, we have the greatest respect for Pep Guardiola and his players – their records as a manager and a team in recent times demand that from us – but we know in ourselves that we have the talent and the character to beat any team when we play at our best with a good plan.

“This afternoon’s game gives us an opportunity to get another taste of the winning habit and give ourselves something more to build upon for next season and beyond. Our players, staff and supporters will all be unified today, giving everything for each other to make that happen.”

Programme notes: “It is an absolute privilege to be here with a chance to win this beautiful trophy once again,” said the Manchester City boss in his interview for the FA’s matchday programme. “Last season we played United here in the first ever Manchester derby in a Cup Final. To be back less than 12 months later, facing United again, is amazing. I know you guys are really excited for this game and I know how much it means to you all.

“We have prepared really well this week. We have studied United and our training sessions have been really good. My players look focused and ready. I can’t wait for the game to start.

“Getting to the Final is never easy. Hundreds of teams start off in the competition and every single one wants the same outcome. We have had to win five really tough matches to be here today and we have given so much already. We’ve had to fight and, believe me, we want to make the final step here today and take the trophy back to the Etihad.

“Honestly, winning this trophy in 2019 and 2023 were two of the best days I have had as a manager in football. This is a historic competition and it’s an honour to be involved. We will do absolutely everything we can to win this trophy again today and make our fans proud, I can promise you that.

“Enjoy the game.”

Ederson is Manchester City’s only absentee through injury, as the Brazilian remains sidelined with the fractured eye socket he sustained in a collision with Cristian Romero during City’s win over Tottenham Hotspur last week. Stefan Ortega will start in goal for City and almost certainly would have anyway because he’s Pep Guardiola’s go-to FA Cup goalkeeper.

Erik ten Hag has already confirmed that Harry Maguire will miss today’s final, while Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia are also sidelined with injury. Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are all back in training after recovering from injury and could feature in today’s squad, while Raphael Varane will hope to feature in some capacity in what will be his last game as a Manchester United player before leaving the club this summer.

Following yesterday’s Guardian exclusive that Erik ten Hag will be relieved of his duties as Manchester United manager regardless of whether or not his team win this afternoon at Wembley, the 143rd FA Cup final was lent an extra layer of intrigue. United’s refusal to comment on the story suggested it is almost certainly true, even if the news is unlikely to have beenm leaked by any member of the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Given his apparent determination to increase standards of professionalism on and off the field around Old Trafford, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is bound to have been angered and a little embarrassed by a story that doesn’t reflect particularly well on the club the day before a major final; one that is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup showdown won by Manchester City.

Looking to achieve an unprecedented double-Double in English football, Pep Guardiola’s side are white-hot favourites to win today and it is a measure of how far United have fallen behind their rivals in the English football pecking order that they are such easily backable outsiders today.

In light of yesterday’s revelation, there’s every chance Erik ten Hag will field a team of overpaid but underachieving youngsters and primadonnas that he knows will have no chance of winning today, which is not to say he’ll do so deliberately as a final eff-you to his employers, but because he has no other choice. Kick-off at Wembley is at 3pm but we’ll have plenty of team news and build-up.