The last piece of silverware for the English soccer season will be handed out on Saturday afternoon at Wembley Stadium to either Crystal Palace or Manchester United. The winner will take the FA Cup and the spot in the Europa League for next season which comes with it.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester United -117
Crystal Palace +376
Draw +243
Over/Under 2 (over -133)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Cup finals are always gritty affairs, so it shouldn't be surprising that this match is featuring a relatively low total of 2 and -133 vig on the over. One moment of brilliance often determines the winner of these matches, but it's clearly United which is the team getting the nod here. The Red Devils are -117 favorites to win this match inside of 90 minutes, and they'll be -250 choices or so to hoist the trophy by the end of the night at Wembley.
KEY INJURIES
The big questions for Palace are whether Wilfried Zaha and Joe Ledley will be available for selection in the final. They're both out with leg injuries right now and missed out on the last day of the Premier League season. Keep an eye on their status as the week progresses. We already know CP will be without Marouane Chamakh, a huge loss up front.
You hate to say that a bomb scare is a break for a team, but from a competitive standpoint, Louis van Gaal and company caught a bit of a break not having to play on the last day of the Premier League season against Bournemouth. The match will have to be made up, but there's nothing on the line anymore for sure, and that will cause van Gaal to use nothing but a reserve side, one would think.
United will get Marouane Fellaini back from his suspension, while Adnan Januzaj could be welcomed back in the fold as well. Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luke Shaw are out for the season.
LIVE BETTING
Crystal Palace has taken a relatively tough road to reach Wembley, and it started in the third round at Southampton, the team which is currently in fifth in the Premier League. From there, the Eagles disposed of Stoke City at home and Tottenham away before beating Reading away in the quarterfinals and Watford at Wembley in the semis.
Manchester United needed an Anthony Martial goal in stoppage time to take care of Everton in the semifinals. The Red Devils' run wasn't complicated, though. The team faced just two Premier League teams, Everton and West Ham in the semis and quarters respectively, and prior to that, they had to dispose of Shrewsbury Town, Derby County and Sheffield United.
QUICK PICK
Manchester United is playing quite well at the moment up front, and in a match which could be decided by just one goal, this is a huge boost. Wayne Rooney has been here before and scored goals on the highest level, while Martial is playing at the peak of his career and seeking a spot on the French national team for Euro 2016. Marcus Rashford could prove to be a super sub as well, and Juan Mata is playing at a high level as an attacking midfielder.
Palace just doesn't have the horses here, even if Zaha and Ledley do return to the midfield. The three at the back for Alan Pardew, Scott Dann, Damien Delaney and Papa Sourae in this competition for the most part, haven't been great in big matches when it's mattered most, and that could hamper the Eagles in this match.
We do expect to see both teams play this close to the vest on Saturday at the FA Cup, as both will look for the crucial moment where they can strike. We don't expect to see much work for either keeper.
A moment of brilliance from Martial will be the difference-maker in the second half, though. From there, don't be shocked if United adds a second when Crystal Palace goes for broke in the dying 10 minutes or so.
FA Cup Odds: Manchester United 2, Crystal Palace 0
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