The 145th FA Cup final is set for Wembley Stadium on Saturday, but the question remains: will Manchester City or Chris Sutton’s former club Chelsea hoist the coveted trophy?
Chelsea enters the match having not defeated City in their last 13 encounters. However, their most recent triumph over Pep Guardiola’s squad occurred on a significant stage: the 2021 Champions League final.
“I was present at that game, and Pep was outmaneuvered by Thomas Tuchel,” noted BBC Sport football analyst Sutton. “However, he won’t be outsmarted by Calum McFarlane.”
In addition to the FA Cup, Sutton provides predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, competing against AI, BBC Sport readers, and a range of guests.
For this weekend’s fixtures, he’s up against two Manchester City supporters – frontman and guitarist Tom Ogden, and drummer Joe Donovan from the indie band Blossoms – as well as a Chelsea fan – rapper Songer.
Blossoms’ latest single, “Joke About Divorce,” is now available. It’s their first new release since their UK number one album, “Gary,” in 2024.
Songer’s most recent single, “Find My Face,” is also out now. He has recently announced his sixth studio album, “What If I Say No?”, set to be released in July.
Do you concur with their predictions? You can submit your own below.
For the Premier League matches, the most frequently selected scoreline for each game is featured in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.
A correct result (predicting a win, draw, or loss) is worth 10 points. The precise score earns 40 points.
Songer has accumulated over 100 million streams in the past year alone, in addition to two BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record in the World premieres with Jack Saunders. He will be touring the UK and Ireland in November.
Some Chelsea fans are planning a protest against their ownership group, BlueCo, at Wembley before Saturday’s FA Cup final, and Songer sympathizes with their discontent.
The rapper, whose full name is James Songer, has been a Chelsea supporter since childhood, telling BBC Sport: “I’ve been skeptical of BlueCo from the outset.”
“It’s been like watching a circus, and it’s been infuriating for the fans to be dragged into it. Our club shouldn’t be a testing ground for their personal project.”
“You won’t find a Chelsea fan who doesn’t want to win the FA Cup, but there’s concern that it would validate the owners’ approach and give them more credit than they deserve.”
“It’s been a dismal season. Without the form we had in the first third of the campaign, we’d be giving Spurs a run for their money in the relegation battle.”
Regardless of the outcome at Wembley, Chelsea needs to appoint a new permanent manager for next season. Calum McFarlane has been the interim head coach since Liam Rosenior was dismissed at the end of April.
“I’d love to see Cesc Fabregas in charge, but that’s wishful thinking because it’s not going to happen,” Songer added. “He won’t want to leave Como.”
“I’d actually like Antonio Conte back, or someone similar, but I can’t see that happening either. The owners don’t seem to get along with anyone who has an ego.”
“I’d definitely take Xabi Alonso, whose name has been mentioned, but I think Andoni Iraola is the most likely candidate. I wouldn’t choose him, but if he gets the job, I’ll support him.”
Blossoms have released four UK number one albums since 2016. They will be returning to the festival circuit this summer, headlining Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington on 24 May and performing at Tramlines in Sheffield on 25 July.
There is also some managerial uncertainty at City, with speculation circulating that manager Pep Guardiola may decide to step down this summer.
“We were discussing this, and it seems like it could be his last season, given how long he’s been here and with his contract expiring next year,” Tom told BBC Sport.
“You just have to appreciate the years we’ve had with such an incredible manager, and it has to end at some point.”
“Everything operates in cycles,” Joe added. “You can’t dwell on him leaving; you have to focus on the amazing time we’ve had. The past 10 years have been unbelievable.”
“We’ll miss him immensely, of course, and he’s irreplaceable – there’s no manager like him. But consider what he’s accomplished – including a Double, a Treble, and four consecutive Premier League titles – and you just have to express gratitude for everything he’s done.”
Guardiola could add another trophy to his collection on Saturday, in addition to the Carabao Cup that City secured in March, and they are still in contention for the Premier League title.
“Winning anything constitutes a successful season,” Joe added. “Especially considering this is a relatively new team.”
“Sometimes you underestimate the difficulty of rebuilding,” Tom explained. “There have been significant changes over the past couple of years.”
“But we’ve already secured one trophy, and we could win another on Saturday. Just being in the title race at this stage is a positive, considering where we were a few months ago.”
Chris Sutton, Songer, Tom Ogden, and Joe Donovan were interviewed by BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
The AI predictions were generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat – we simply asked the tool to ‘predict the score for the FA Cup final and this weekend’s Premier League games’.
Villa Park, 20:00
Aston Villa are scheduled to face Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday, so how will Unai Emery approach this match?
The last time Villa had a significant European game approaching, against Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals earlier this month, Emery made seven changes against Tottenham, and his team performed poorly.
This time, Villa needs to build momentum before heading to Istanbul, so he can’t afford to repeat that – otherwise, they will lose momentum rather than build it.
Liverpool is also not performing at their best currently, and, like Villa, they are not guaranteed a top-five finish yet.
A draw seems like the most probable outcome, but making predictions at this stage of the season is nearly impossible due to the various factors that can influence the results. If it were up to me, the predictions from the final two weeks of the season would not count towards the table.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
Songer’s prediction: Both teams have been struggling somewhat recently, but Liverpool‘s momentum has completely vanished, so I’ll go with Villa. 2-1
Tom’s prediction: I think Villa might beat them. 1-0
Joe’s prediction: Are we combining scores? I’m happy to be competitive! 0-1
AI’s prediction: 1-2
There is no replay in the FA Cup final. The game will be decided by extra time and penalties.
Gap = league places between the two teams
FA Cup final
Wembley, 15:00
9th in the Premier League v 2nd in the Premier League
Last major trophy? Chelsea: 2025 Club World Cup. City: 2026 Carabao Cup
FA Cup wins? Chelsea: 8 between 1970 & 2018. City: 7 between 1904 and 2023
Pep rested players midweek when City beat Crystal Palace and left Erling Haaland out, much to the annoyance of Fantasy Premier League managers.
Haaland will be back in the team at Wembley, though, and he will benefit from the rest, along with the likes of Rayan Cherki.
Chelsea have been inconsistent all season, and if they have one of their off days, things could get a bit messy for them.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-5
Songer on Chelsea‘s squad: We’ve got some unbelievable players and there are still new levels for them to reach. Joao Pedro for example, is such a talent, and all the way through the team there are sparks like that… but even the players who do look like they are top-level, they just seem to be lacking something when they play for us.
The same way the fans are not convinced by the owners’ strategy , it doesn’t feel like the players are buying into the project either. They just don’t seem too bothered about what is going on. The model of investing in youth is all well and good if we have got Estevao playing but now he is injured and with all due respect many of the other youngsters we’ve bought are not ready to start for one of the best clubs in the league and it just feels like, as soon as they are, they will get sold – and this will be a neverending issue.
Songer’s prediction: Despite everything that is going on at Chelsea, I am still going to back my boys. It would just be the most ‘Chelsea‘ thing ever if we turn up at Wembley after being so poor for so long and give us a glimmer of hope that we are back, when we are definitely not. This is not going to be a goal fest – instead it will be very tense and very tight and I am going for to win it. 2-1
Tom: I do think City will win this if we turn up, but we have to make sure we turn up this time.
Joe: Whenever you do these predictions, you always say something like that – you are confident about every other score, except City’s!
Tom’s prediction: Pep is going to play all the big-hitters so I am pretty confident. 0-3
Joe’s prediction: I am going to be boring and agree with Tom. I can see us scoring three as well. 0-3
AI’s prediction: 1-2
Old Trafford, 12:30
This is a complete dead rubber, with Nottingham Forest now secure and Manchester United assured of a Champions League spot.
That makes it trickier to predict, but United boss Michael Carrick will still be eager for a strong end to the season and to maintain the positive atmosphere at Old Trafford.
Nottingham Forest will also want to avoid their season simply fizzling out, but the pressure is now off them. Consequently, I’m backing United here – this game is more important to them than it is to Forest.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
Songer’s prediction: Old Trafford suddenly feels like a very happy place to be, which shows how quickly things can change. 2-1
Tom’s prediction: United will win this. 2-0
Joe’s prediction: Yeah I am going to say the same this time – it will keep my United fans happy. 2-0
AI’s prediction: 2-0
Gtech Community Stadium, 15:00
Crystal Palace will continue to prioritize the Europa Conference League – their manager Oliver Glasner has already alluded to it.
So even if Glasner doesn’t start with an obviously weakened lineup, he is managing the minutes for his players and everything is being done with an eye on the game with Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on 27 May.
In contrast, Brentford‘s focus is on their league position and making it into Europe for the first time in their history.
Because of all that, I am backing Brentford here. Palace beat the Bees at Selhurst Park in November, but they are not getting anything on Sunday.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-0
Songer’s prediction: My missus is a Brentford fan so I very much keep an eye on them, and I am going to back them here too. 2-0
Tom’s prediction: I can see Brentford getting a good win here. 3-1
Joe’s prediction: I know Brentford are going for the Champions League but I still fancy Palace to nick this. 0-1
AI’s prediction: 2-1
Hill Dickinson Stadium, 15:00
These sides are both in mid-table, and they have both gone a few weeks without winning now.
Performance-wise, they have not been terrible, but their results have tailed off a bit.
Everton have shipped a few goals recently, though and I can see David Moyes wanting them to get back to keeping a clean sheet.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-0
Songer’s prediction: Everton to edge it. 1-0
Tom’s prediction: Not much excitement here. 1-1
Joe’s prediction: I’m saying Everton to win, but a boring game. 1-0
AI’s prediction: 2-0
Elland Road, 15:00
A lot has changed about Leeds since they got thumped by Brighton at Amex Stadium in November.
This will be a lot closer, and because of that it is also a lot harder to call.
I’ve been getting my Brighton predictions wrong for most of the season and I am not exactly confident that this will be the week when that changes.
I was tempted to back the Seagulls here because they are in good form and can still make sixth spot, but Leeds are playing well too and they were unlucky not to beat Tottenham on Monday.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
Songer’s prediction: Both of these teams are in decent form. Leeds are safe and Brighton are in and around the European spots. 1-1
Tom’s prediction: Brighton to score but Leeds will win. 2-1
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