FA Cup Final Tip

It’s been very easy to get caught up in the hype of Stoke City playing in their first ever FA Cup Final, and it would be a surprise if they didn’t make a good account of themselves. Equally, Manchester City have flattered to deceive on so many occasions this season that it’s easy to be left underwhelmed by their prowess. But the facts are, they have qualified for the Champions League with something to spare, and they have reached a major cup final by defeating their neighours and nemeses United in the semi-final. These things just can’t be ignored.

Mancini’s side are deservedly favourites and the team news emerging from the rival camps only cements that status. Most importantly of all, Carlos Tevez took to the pitch for the final ten minutes or so against Tottenham on Tuesday, and can now be expected to play a part in the final. This is a massive boon for City, because even if he starts on the bench, they can call on their talisman if and when required.

The picture is less rosy for Stoke boss Tony Pulis who has known for a while that Danny Higginbotham and Ricardo Fuller will be ruled out for the big day. These are absentees that the Potters can probably cope with, but they may now be joined on the sidelines by two more pivotal figures in Matthew Etherington and Robert Huth. If neither of them play, Stoke will surely be stretched to breaking point. Left-sided Etherington has had a fine season and opened the scoring, and with it the floodgates, against Bolton in the semi-final.  Huth has been a colossus at the heart of defence and contributed nine goals to the campaign for good measure.

There is just a feeling from all this injury news that things are rolling for Man City even before kick-off. But a best price of 10/11 on Mancini’s side getting the job done in 90 minutes doesn’t feel like value. Stoke’s fine form can’t be discounted and if Tevez is left warming the bench they are quite capable of holding their own. But the 22-goal star striker is bound to be unleashed at some point and the resistance of the underdogs is liable to crack eventually. If this script plays out in broad terms then a bet on Man City to win after extra time looks tasty. Betfred rates this prospect at just 6/1 which suggests that the 10/1 available with bet365 is great value.