The FA Cup final is finally here, and Wembley Stadium will be roaring as Manchester United and Crystal Palace square off one last time this season. Neither team finished where they wanted to this season, but one more win will give them the chance to scream and dance and celebrate -- and lift the FA Cup trophy in front of the entire country as champions.
Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for FA Cup final
Once more, for all the glory.
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Louis Van Gaal feels like a win for Manchester United would save their season and justify their struggles. While winning the FA Cup would definitely make the fans feel better about things, their long strings of mediocrity and constant failure to take advantage of weakness among the other big teams in the league this season will still sit uneasy at best. Manchester United needs dramatic and significant changes from top to bottom if they’re going to become an elite team again, and one FA Cup trophy won’t change that at all.
For Alan Pardew and Crystal Palace, this is the ultimate chance for them to play the spoiler one more time this season. While Palace didn’t enjoy the most successful of seasons in the Premier League this year, they were one of the most consistently frustrating teams for the bigger sides to face. Even during their swoon in form in the second half of the season, they were rarely easy to beat, and they still bloodied a few noses along the way. Their path to the final was perhaps a little easy in the later rounds, but they got one huge upset over Tottenham to get there -- now they’re one more upset away from turning the tables entirely in England and giving Manchester United fans one more reason to be miserable this season.
Key player -- Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Rooney may not be the force he once was, but he’s been in hot form of late, and in a one-off match like this the hottest hand often wins the day. If he can continue that streak into this match then Crystal Palace will struggle to defend against him, especially with Yohan Cabaye sitting out with injury. Palace lack another midfielder who operates in those areas between the lines who can match up well with Rooney, so if he starts rolling, things could get ugly in a hurry.
Key matchup -- Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) vs. Daley Blind (Manchester United)
Wickham has run hot and cold this season, but a player with his size and athleticism always has an excellent chance of making a huge impact in a game like this one. That skillset, playing in a high-pressure match against legs fatigued by a full season of play, has a habit of exploiting mistakes. Matched up against a defender who’s been mercurial at best of late in Blind, and one who already struggles against bigger strikers, Wickham could really shine by the time the final whistle blows.
Crystal Palace injuries and suspensions
Out: Joe Ledley, Marouane Chamakh, Brede Hangeland In doubt: Connor Wickham, Yohan Cabaye, Wilfried Zaha
Manchester United injuries and suspensions
Out: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marcos Rojo, Will Keane, Luke Shaw In doubt: Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Adnan Januzaj
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. local
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
TV: FOX (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), BT Sport 2, BT Sport Ultra HD (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO, Fox Sports Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)
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