Manchester City will attempt to end 35 years of failure on Saturday when they face Stoke in an FA Cup final which threatens to be upstaged by Manchester United’s record 19th league title. City can nevertheless be able to confirm their emergence as English football’s rising force with their first trophy since 1976. Victory at Wembley would be the perfect end to a week that saw Roberto Mancini’s men clinch a Champions League spot.
“I’m excited by this and very proud for my players,” Mancini said. “The FA Cup is very important, it is my first final and the first time Manchester City have been in it for a long time. It will be a special day. “Our target was the Champions League and after that we wanted to get into one of the finals. We are in the FA final. It’s a good moment for us.”
Mancini says he will wait until Saturday morning before deciding whether or not to start Carlos Tevez. “Carlos is getting better,” said Mancini. “We now have two days to decide if he can play or not.”