The build-up to this weekend’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium has been dominated by growing fitness concerns on both sides, with as many as eight players potentially unavailable when Manchester City face Chelsea.
City arrive in London with renewed confidence after an impressive week in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s side produced a commanding 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, trimming Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to two points and ensuring morale remains high ahead of another major final.
Attention has now shifted towards Wembley, where City will attempt to add another trophy to their collection against a Chelsea side still adapting to life under interim manager Calum McFarlane.
McFarlane has already overseen encouraging performances since taking temporary charge. Chelsea reached the final after defeating Leeds United in the semi-finals, before earning a hard-fought draw against Liverpool last weekend.
However, preparations for the showpiece occasion have been disrupted by several injury and availability issues across the squad.
The most notable absentee remains Mykhailo Mudryk, whose anti-doping suspension continues. The winger is unavailable once again and will play no part in Saturday’s encounter.
Chelsea are also monitoring the fitness of Pedro Neto. The Portugal international sat out the club’s previous two Premier League matches, although there is growing optimism that he could recover in time for the final.
McFarlane and his staff are hopeful the winger will return to training fully before the squad travels to Wembley.
Alejandro Garnacho is another player attempting to regain fitness before the weekend. The former Manchester United winger missed Chelsea’s recent matches against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, but the club remain encouraged by his recovery process.
Speaking earlier this week, McFarlane suggested progress had been made behind the scenes, although the Chelsea manager stopped short of offering guarantees over either player’s involvement.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is also facing a late assessment after suffering a head injury during the defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Spaniard missed the draw against Liverpool, creating uncertainty over Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation ahead of the final.
McFarlane revealed Sanchez had returned to training during the week but refused to confirm whether he would start at Wembley. Chelsea’s medical staff are expected to make a final decision closer to kick-off.
Young forward Jesse Derry will definitely miss the remainder of the campaign after sustaining what the club described as a serious head injury in the same Forest match.
There are also longer-term concerns surrounding Estevao and Jamie Gittens. Estevao picked up a hamstring injury in April which is expected to keep him sidelined into the summer months, ruling him out of the final entirely.
Gittens has similarly been unavailable since the beginning of the year. Chelsea confirmed last month that the winger suffered a hamstring problem during a training session, and he has yet to return to competitive action.
Guardiola handed boost as City injury picture improves
In contrast to Chelsea’s lengthy list of concerns, Manchester City head into the final with far fewer injury problems.
Guardiola has gradually welcomed several players back to full fitness in recent weeks, giving the City manager an almost complete squad to choose from for one of the biggest matches of the season.
The main uncertainty surrounds Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. The midfielder remains a doubt after ongoing fitness issues, although Guardiola has not ruled him out entirely.
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Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Guardiola said Rodri would continue to be monitored before a final decision is made on his availability.
City were also encouraged after Josko Gvardiol came through the midweek victory over Crystal Palace without any problems.
The defender’s condition had been watched closely following a demanding recent schedule, but there were no signs of concern after Wednesday’s match.
Another player absent against Palace was Nico Gonzalez, who was not included on the substitutes’ bench.
Guardiola later clarified that the midfielder had not suffered an injury, easing fears of another setback before the trip to Wembley.
