Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction 17.05.2025 | FA Cup

• Competition: FA Cup Finals
• Date: Saturday, 17th May, 2025
• Kickoff: 16:30 UK / 17:30 CEST
• Venue: Wembley Stadium (London)

On Saturday afternoon, two in-form teams, Crystal Palace and Manchester City, will face off in the FA Cup Finals at Wembley Stadium in London.

Crystal Palace had an atrocious start to the season, where they floated around the relegation spots. However, we believed they were too good to be involved in a relegation battle, and indeed, they turned things around in the second part of the season. The popular Eagles are now in 12th place but without a realistic chance of moving upwards and securing Europe. However, if they make an upset in the FA Cup Finals, they would secure Europe and their first major trophy in the club's history.

Manchester City, after years of domination, had a terrible season, at least by their standards. This year, the Citizens looked like they might even struggle to reach the Champions League spots. However, after a good run lately, they are now in 4th place with 65 points, two away from dropping out of the top five spots. They can save the season somewhat by winning the FA Cup, where they are massive favorites. Still, even with that title, this season will not be considered a success, and we will most likely see some changes in the offseason.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City pick: Under 2.5 goals

This year, the Eagles went under 2.5 goals in 55% of their Premier League games, which is the second most in the league, only behind Everton. A big reason for it is their pretty good defensive record, especially in recent games where they kept a clean sheet in three of the last five matches - 60%.

Manchester City are in excellent form, winning five of the last six matches. Still, their offense isn't as lethal as we are used to from them. On the other hand, they are doing a fantastic job defensively as they have kept their net intact in the last three matches.

Both teams are in good form, but we believe that both particularly impressed defensively. Now, considering both teams' defensive performances and with the title on the line, we expect a bit slower pace of the game, which could easily result in a low-scoring duel.