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      History made in FA Cup final as Gary Lineker reveals ‘this is the first time they’ve ever done that’

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      FOR the first time in FA Cup history a word has been engraved into the iconic trophy ahead of the final. Manchester United meet Manchester City at Wembley this afternoon.
      Gary Lineker showed the unique difference on this year’s cupCredit: BBC SPORT
      The name ‘Manchester’ is already on there waiting for the winnerCredit: BBC SPORT
      And before kick-off, host Gary Lineker highlighted a big difference to the prize, which had blue and red ribbons on it.
      The word “Manchester” has already been carved into the trophy.

      At full-time, the engravers only have to add either “City” or “United” to the cup knowing it will head up north tonight.
      On the decision to etch a word on early, Andy Ambler, The FA’s director of professional game relations, said: “It’s remarkable that these giants of English football have won the competition on 18 out of a possible 141 occasions between them but not met in the final until now.
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      “This unique engraving underlines the historic nature of the game in prospect, and we can’t wait to see whether it will be City or United added to the trophy.”
      Man Utd will be hoping it is their name put on it as they aim to prevent their rivals from winning the Treble.
      Pep Guardiola’s men have already won the Premier League and have the Champions League final against Inter Milan next weekend.
      But despite holding the potential to leave their rivals heartbroken and protect the legacy of United’s 1999 Treble-winning team, Erik ten Hag insists his team are not impacted by it.
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      He explained: “We want to win a cup,
      “It is not about stopping City. It is about us winning the cup. It’s a great opportunity.
      “This is a good test for us. I think City have done a very good job.
      “They play very good football so they deserve it but I don’t look at them.
      “Of course I look at our opponents but we look to ourselves and you have to see where you are as a club and from there you have to make progress and I think we did last season.
      “Wembley is probably the best stadium in the world and to be there is very exciting.” More

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      Fans all switch from BBC to ITV for FA Cup final after realising who is presenting

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      FOOTBALL fans have switched their viewing pattern from the BBC to ITV after seeing who was presenting on the channels. The two channels are going head-to-head for viewers ahead of the all-Manchester FA Cup final.
      Laura Woods pictured alongside Ally McCoistCredit: Twitter / @laura_woodsy
      Fans declared they would be switching viewing allegiancesCredit: Rex

      FA Cup final – Man City vs Man Utd: Everything you need to know, including kick-off time and TV details
      But upon seeing a Woods tweet revealing she was presenting ITV’s coverage alongside Ally McCoist, fans declared their intention to switch over.
      One fan said: “Time to switch over to ITV.”
      A second reacted: “Now that’s a pair of pundits.”
      “Going to switch from BBC to ITV now 😮‍💨,” declared a third.
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      A fourth typed: “Was watching BBC now I gotta switch.”

      Another added: “Defo switching from BBC.”
      Fans were also quick to lavish praise on her outfit.
      ITV’s team consists of Mark Pougatch presenting with Roy Keane, Joleon Lescott, and Ian Wright performing studio punditry.
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      Meanwhile, Woods will be pitchside with Karen Carney, while Sam Matterface, Ally McCoist and Lee Dixon are in the commentary box.
      Meanwhile, BBC’s coverage is headed up by Gary Lineker.
      The Match of the Day host has been joined by Alan Shearer, Peter Schmeichel and Micah Richards in the studio. More

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      Micah Richards apologises to Man Utd legend Peter Schmeichel on live TV just moments into FA Cup final coverage

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      MICAH RICHARDS apologised to Peter Schmeichel live on TV just moments into the FA Cup final coverage. The former Manchester City defender was joined by United legend Schmeichel on BBC punditry duty at Wembley.
      Peter Schmeichel and Micah Richards were together on FA Cup final duty
      And Richards took the time to apologise after revealing he once voted to drop his son Kasper in favour of Joe Hart.
      He said: “So many moons ago, under Sven-Goran Eriksson, your son played with me at Manchester City.
      “And, Joe Hart was there also. So Sven-Goran Eriksson pulls us into his office and says, he doesn’t really know who to play out of Kasper or Joe.

      “But obviously I was friendly with Joe. So I picked Joe Hart. But I wasn’t the captain!
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      “It wasn’t just me, I was only vice-captain. Richard Dunne made the decision, not me.”
      Kasper came through City’s academy and spent three senior years with the club before leaving in 2009 after a series of loan moves.
      Hart similarly had spells away with the club before returning for a breakthrough season at the Etihad in 2010.
      He went on to win two Premier League titles and an FA Cup with City but lost his place as No1 and ultimately left for good in 2018.
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      Meanwhile, Kasper went from Notts County to Leeds and then Leicester after leaving Manchester.
      He would become a Leicester club legend, winning the league and FA Cup during his time – leaving Foxes fan Gary Lineker thanking Richards.
      Lineker said: “Micah, can I thank you though. On behalf of Leicester.”
      Hart is now with Celtic, winning the Scottish Premiership twice, while Kasper left Leicester for Nice in France in 2022.
      Kasper Schmeichel and Joe Hart in 2014Credit: Action Images – Reuters More

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      Why is Stefan Ortega starting the FA Cup final and why isn’t Ederson playing for Manchester City?

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      AN FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United could not be more mouthwatering.The two Premier League giants square up at Wembley Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s side on the march towards a stunning Treble.
      Pep Guardiola has given Stefan Ortega the green light to start the FA Cup final against Manchester UnitedCredit: Reuters
      Ederson has been Pep Guardiola’s reliable No1 for Manchester City since taking over as managerCredit: Getty
      But there will be an unfamiliar face between the sticks for City, with Guardiola stepping up to make a bold team selection.
      Why is Stefan Ortega starting the FA Cup final ahead of Ederson?
      Guardiola has shocked many fans by deciding to drop reliable keeper Ederson for the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
      The Spaniard has opted to go with Stefan Ortega, 30, ahead of the Brazilian.
      German Ortega has played in every single round of City’s FA Cup campaign and has helped them reach Wembley.
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      Ortega also played in City’s recent Premier League win over Chelsea and 1-1 draw against Brighton.
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      What has Guardiola said about Ortega?
      Guardiola said: “Yeah he [Ortega] is going to play.
      “It’s always been the same in the cups, even with Barcelona and Munich, so he’s going to play in the FA Cup.”
      Is Ederson injured?
      No, Ederson is fully fit.
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      He played the full 90 minutes as City lost 1-0 to Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season.

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      Former Premier League stadium that fell into disrepair is now an Asda with poignant nod to disaster

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      THIS ground that graced the Premier League is now more supermarket than transfer market.Bolton spent 102 years at Burnden Park, and during that time they won four FA Cups as well as the Charity Shield until they moved in 1997 – two years before it was demolished.
      Bolton spent 102 years at former ground Burnden ParkCredit: Alamy
      Bolton’s former ground Burnden Park is now an Asda storeCredit: Bradley Ormesher – The Times
      Bolton’s Burnden Park has been an Asda ever since 2005Credit: Bradley Ormesher – The Times
      The historic ground, that at one time could fit a maximum of 70,000 spectators, was turned into an Asda in 2005 with photos of players and the stadium still visible above checkouts.
      This used to be a place that represented triumph and pride for Bolton.
      Burnden Park hosted the FA Cup final replay in 1901 when Tottenham defeated Sheffield United 3-1 – and was even the inspiration behind L.S Lowry’s £8million Going To The Match painting.
      It also held various national cycling championships as well as brass band contests.
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      But the stadium was also the site of a major tragedy in 1946 when 33 Bolton fans were crushed to death and 400 others were injured during an FA Cup quarter-final match against Stoke.
      The Railway End was simply a bank of earth with some stones for steps, and early in the game two barriers collapsed and the crowd fell forward, crushing those underneath.
      People spilled on the pitch and the game was halted twice with the referee told by the police there had been a fatality.
      The players then left the pitch while casualties were taken from the Railway End terrace.
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      But those who had died were placed along the touchline and covered in coats.
      Shockingly, less than half an hour later, the game restarted with the bodies still lying beside the pitch, separated from the players by a new sawdust touchline.
      A plaque paying tribute to the people who lost their lives in the fourth worst disaster in British football history – and worst at the time – was unveiled in 1992 by club legend Nat Lofthouse.
      This plaque can still be found inside the Asda.
      The stadium was also used to host cycling championships as well as footballCredit: Getty
      The old ground is six miles away from the current Bolton homeCredit: Getty
      One fan inspects a toilet up for auctionCredit: PA:Press Association
      Tragedy nearly hit Burnden Park again in May 1998 when a fire swept through the ground.
      Twelve years earlier, a section of the ground was sold off and a Normid superstore was built, covering half of one end in a bizarre look.
      Bolton’s last game at Burnden Park took place in April 1997 against Charlton with the Trotters winning 4-1 win, with icon John McGinlay scoring their final-ever goal at the ground.
      The club moved in 1997 to Reebok Stadium, which is now called the University of Bolton Stadium and will next season be known as the Toughsheet.
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      But the penalty spot was dug up from Burnden Park and planted at the new ground on Burnden Way while much of the stadium – including signs and even toilets as memorabilia – was auctioned off.
      The ground was left derelict and abandoned for two years while travellers lived in the car park before the demolition took place in 1999.
      Nathan Blake celebrates scoring against ChelseaCredit: PA:Press Association
      A plaque paying tribute to the disaster at Burnden Park can be seen inside the AsdaCredit: Bradley Ormesher – The Times
      33 supporters died at the FA Cup quarter-final in 1946Credit: John Gradwell
      Bolton played at the ground for 102 yearsCredit: Alamy
      L.S Lowry’s Going To The Match painting was based on Burnden Park More

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      Iconic Wembley Stadium relic which saw World Cup lifted now lies forgotten in London park ahead of FA Cup final

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      IT is one of the last remaining relics from the old Wembley.While Abide With Me echoes under the arch ahead of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United on Saturday, just a mile away, the final concrete fragment of the famous Twin Towers sits peacefully in a London park.
      This flagpole base from the old Wembley Stadium lies without glamour in a parkCredit: Supplied
      This humble explanation is virtually all that’s there to point out the historic piece of concrete in Brent River ParkCredit: Supplied
      The Twin Towers of the old Wembley are famous throughout the worldCredit: Hulton Archive – Getty
      Standing 1.5 metres tall, weighing four tonnes and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the actual FA Cup, this is the base of theflagpole which adorned the top of the East Tower while the likes of Stanley Matthews, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Kevin Keegan andPaul Gascoigne graced the hallowed turf.
      When the iconic stadium was demolished in 2003, this chunk of footballing history was presented to the local council and rehousedin Brent River Park, where it has lived ever since.
      Having gazed down on the ‘White Horse’ of 1923 now, a century on, it is the red bus and a housing estate that provides its backdrop.
      Despite the clamour to keep the much-loved Twin Towers, it was considered implausible.
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      And their remains, along with the rubble from the rest of the old stadium, lie buried under four large mounds at NorthalaFields in West London.
      But the flagpole base survived and rests just a stone’s throw from Stonebridge Park tube station, a short walk from the newWembley, with its dominant arch just visible through the trees.
      Not much else exists of the original home of football.
      The actual flagpoles, complete with crowns on top, were housed on Sir William McAlpine’s Fawley Hill estate, while the iconic stadium gates, which the team buses drove through, ended up being bought by a museum in Santiago, Chile.
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      Thjis plaque helps commemorate England’s 1966 World Cup gloryCredit: Alamy
      The flagpole part looks distinctive but nothing special, unless you know its past More

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      I lost 6-0 to Man City in the FA Cup final and I fear Man Utd could take a serious pasting at Wembley

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      YOUR mission, should you choose to accept it, is to face  Manchester City in an FA Cup final and deny them the Treble.That is the challenge Manchester United face on Saturday, and it’s the same one my Watford side faced four years ago.
      Troy Deeney faced Manchester City in the FA Cup final when playing for WatfordCredit: AFP
      But lost the game 6-0Credit: Getty
      That was the biggest match of my career. The manager and all of the team prepared impeccably, our attitude was spot-on, we had belief and confidence. We got stuffed 6-0.
      Facing Pep Guardiola’s City is a challenge like no other. They suffocate you, they frustrate you, they mentally exhaust you, they bully you and they end up demoralising you.
      On more than one occasion against City, I have literally found myself, out on the pitch, counting their players because I was genuinely convinced they must have more men than us.
      And they don’t seem to have any weaknesses.
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      You face other great teams and you know there are potential weak links.
      Play Manchester United and you know Fred might take one too many touches. Jump on that. Go up against Chelsea and Cesar Azpilicueta lacks height. You try to exploit those small margins.
      With City, there is none of that — and even more so now than four years ago.
      City were a more beautiful footballing side in 2019 than they are today.
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      But now, with Erling Haaland, they are the most complete team in the world.
      If you try to press this City team, they can go long to Haaland. Even their keeper, Ederson, has a sledgehammer of a left foot. Sit off them and it’s death by a thousand passes. World-class players everywhere, running at you from all angles.
      Players like Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who demand the ball and are so used to seeing plenty of it, get starved of action and they will feel that frustration, which is unique to facing City.
      United have far more quality than we had at Watford and I’d really like to tell you that I think this Cup final will be a great contest — but I don’t think it will even be close.
      Erling Haaland has made Man City the ‘most complete’ teamCredit: PA
      You can say it’s a one-off game. You can say that anything can happen in a derby. You can say United are in decent form. You can say that United beat City at home the last time they met.
      Try all you like to make a case for Erik ten Hag’s men but you will be ignoring just how good City are.
      Even Real Madrid got spanked at the Etihad in the Champions League. City are world football’s Galacticos now.
      Facing Guardiola himself as an opposition player is a funny experience, too.

      FA Cup final – Man City vs Man Utd: Everything you need to know, including kick-off time and TV details
      He kills you with kindness. He’s always complimenting you. Perhaps he’s trying to soften you up. Or keep his team on their toes.
      I’d rather an opposition manager was snarling at me instead!
      And today City will have the supreme motivation of becoming footballing immortals.
      City completed English football’s only domestic treble when they defeated us in 2019 but this team can emulate the United team which did the ultimate Treble in 1999.
      That side, along with Arsenal’s Invincibles, are generally regarded as the best Premier League teams ever and City will stand alongside them if they win today and defeat Inter Milan in Istanbul next weekend.
      United have motivation, too. Stopping City winning the Treble would mean more to them than any other club, and if they complete a Cup double, having qualified for the Champions League, it will end up being an excellent first season for Ten Hag. But I’m not seeing it.
      Maybe it’s that I’m still haunted by the 2019 final. I’m still convinced we were in that game for half an hour. We had a decent penalty shout and Roberto Pereyra squandered a one-on-one with Ederson when it was still goalless.
      But you simply have to be ruthless when you get a chance against City.
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      To beat City, you must be ruthless, you must be impeccable and you will need to have fortune on your side.
      Good luck, United. You are going to need it. More

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      Gary Neville says Man Utd must start forgotten star against Man City to avoid 6-0 humiliation in FA Cup final

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      GARY NEVILLE has claimed that Erik ten Hag must play Fred against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.Manchester United face their cross-city rivals at Wembley on Saturday as they look to win a domestic double and stop City from taking another step closer to completing a historic treble.
      Gary Neville has picked one player that must play in the FA Cup finalCredit: Getty
      Neville thinks that Fred could be key against Manchester CityCredit: EPA
      City have already claimed the Premier League trophy and are in the final of the Champions League, while United picked up the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.
      Neville, 48, has insisted for his former side to have the best chance of winning the historic trophy, there needs to be another ball-winner in the midfield.
      Fred has cut a forgotten figure at Old Trafford in recent weeks as he has played a reduced role after falling behind Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the pecking order.
      But Neville thinks that the Brazilian could be key in the cup final as he would be able to give the club another man in midfield as well as give Bruno Fernandes more space further up the pitch.
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      The club legend also insisted that without Fed in the midfield, it could be an “issue” as he is worried about a 6-0 mauling.
      He said on The Overlap: “I don’t want Manchester United to play with Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, and Christian Eriksen in midfield.
      “The game where they won, it was Fred with Casemiro. I just don’t see how City won’t run amok if it’s Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes.
      “I feel not having that little bit of something to break the play up [could be key]. When he won the game at Old Trafford, I think he played with Fred and Casemiro, with Eriksen in front.
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      “Then they had [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial and Fernandes to the right.
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      “The reason I think that works is because City don’t have a left-back going forward and Bruno can tuck in there, which means they almost have four in the middle.
      “Closing that off and letting City’s left-back have it – who that’s going to be, [Manuel] Akanji or [Nathan] Ake?
      “I feel like, for me, if Bruno gets into a little space and comes inside to defend, let City’s left side have it.
      “That’s what I’d like us to do. I’d like that extra [player]. If it’s [Scott] McTominay by the way, alongside Casemiro, it doesn’t really matter. I just feel that having that open midfield is going to be an issue.
      “You’ve got Eriksen, Fernandes and only Casmeiro thinks [about defending].
      “The other two do alright without the ball but they’re better on the ball than they are off the ball.
      “I think not having that extra man, I would be really worried about that, where it could be 6-0. They played at City, it was 6-1 but ended 6-3 and I think that was with McTominay, Eriksen and Fernandes, and they just got killed.”

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