Team news, manager quotes and match facts ahead of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Wigan at Wembley.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City have close to a full squad available. Midfielder Yaya Toure is fit after recent concerns about fatigue and playmaker David Silva is in contention to start for first time since suffering a hamstring injury at Manchester United a month ago. Back-up goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon, who has played in all the previous rounds, is expected to be selected ahead of England number one Joe Hart.
Roberto Martinez must decide whether to stick with his wobbly defence for Wigan's first FA Cup final appearance. Antolin Alcaraz (hamstring) is rated no more than a 50-50 chance, while captain Gary Caldwell is most at risk following his mistake against Swansea on Tuesday and Roger Espinoza looked ill at ease in the left wing-back role. Ali Al Habsi is expected to return at the expense of on-loan Joel Robles in goal, as he did for the semi-final win over Millwall.
MANAGER QUOTES
Roberto Mancini on the retirement of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was a great honour to beat him at Old Trafford and I wish him good luck for his future. I don't think there'll be another manager like him. To win every trophy for 27 years is incredible situation. In Europe, there are other good managers. I don't know if you can say Sir Alex is the best ever but he is the best in the last 27 years. A top club, a big club like United, you can change the manager. Sir Alex built this team but it is a big club with a big history and I don't think it will change something."
Roberto Martinez: “You don’t get many opportunities to enjoy what the FA Cup brings. It’s a historic moment, a moment to be proud of. It’s such an easy game to manage from a mental point of view because it will get over a billion audience, and you’re playing at Wembley so it’s an incredible moment. You don’t need any motivation for that. I know what it means to the fans and to the rest of the footballing world to have our name alongside an FA Cup final playing the champions of England. I think in the last few games [against City] they’ve been games that could have gone either way. We left it for that big occasion to be able to compete against a phenomenal side.”
MATCH FACTS
The two teams have only met twice before in the FA Cup, with City winning both games 1-0 at home, in 1971 in the third round and in 2006 when City won a Fourth Round clash.
Wigan have failed to scored a single goal in each of their last seven meetings with the Citizens (all in the league), losing each of those games.
Carlos Tevez has netted seven goals in 12 appearances against the Latics (all in the Premier League).
City have won 10 of their last 11 FA Cup matches, keeping clean sheets in nine of those games and losing just one.
The Manchester giants have scored in each of their last 18 FA Cup games. Only Chelsea, who City beat in the semi-finals, are currently on a longer scoring run in the competition (30 games).
Roberto Martinez’s charges have only conceded one goal in their last five FA Cup games and only two overall in this campaign.
However, City have shipped just one goal in this season’s FA Cup campaign, a joint-low figure.
Only beaten semi-finalists Chelsea (17) can better City’s haul of 15 goals in the FA Cup this season.
The Latics have enjoyed just two wins in their last six FA Cup clashes with top-tier teams, losing three and drawing one.
This will be Wigan’s first FA Cup final appearance. The last team to win the cup in their first final was Wimbledon back in 1988.
This will be City’s 10th FA Cup final, with the Citizens winning five of their nine finals so far.
The last five FA Cup finals involving two top tier sides have produced a total of just nine goals (three 1-0s and two 2-1s)
13 of the last 17 exclusively top-tier finals have seen one or both sides failed to find the back of the net at all.
David Silva has been involved in four goals (scoring one, assisting three) in his last two FA Cup appearances for the Citizens.
Carlos Tevez has been involved in seven FA Cup goals this season, scoring five and assisting two more (five appearances).
In five FA Cup appearances this season, Costel Pantilimon has kept four clean sheets, conceding just one goal in total.
Jordi Gomez has scored three and assisted three goals in the FA Cup this season.
Wigan Athletic have never lost a FA Cup match when Roman Golobart has played (W4 D1).
Callum McManaman has scored in three successive FA Cup appearances.
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