Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has forecast a commanding Manchester City victory in Saturday evening’s Football Association (FA) Cup final at Wembley, backing Pep Guardiola’s side to beat his former club by five goals to nil.
Writing in his column for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Sport ahead of the showpiece fixture, Sutton pointed to Erling Haaland’s expected return to the starting lineup and Chelsea’s inconsistency throughout the season as the foundations of his prediction.
“Chelsea have been patchy all season,” Sutton wrote.
Sutton observed that Guardiola deliberately rested key players, including Haaland and Rayan Cherki, during City’s midweek victory over Crystal Palace, suggesting the decision was made with Wembley firmly in mind. He argued both forwards would arrive at the final refreshed and difficult to contain.
The pundit warned that Chelsea risk a difficult evening if they produce one of the below-par displays that have undermined their campaign at key moments, backing City to punish any such lapse emphatically.
Chelsea and Manchester City meet at Wembley on Saturday evening, each bidding to end the season with a major honour in one of English football’s most prestigious finals.
