Even though Ederson has always been the undisputed number one for them in between the sticks, Guardiola stated why Ortega Moreno will play the game.
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The stage is set for an enthralling FA Cup final between two Manchester giants on Saturday. It is not often that a big final will see these two teams go head to head with each other. However, Saturday is one of those rare occasions when the footballing world will be treated to the pulsating Manchester derby. Both sides have done really well to be where they are now in the season. City are fresh from winning the Premier League crown, while United have sealed the third place and will be looking to win a second trophy after lifting the EFL Cup earlier this campaign.
With this contest being the talk of the town, both sets of supporters will be keen to tune on to their TV on Saturday evening. Ahead of this match, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave an update on his squad. With City sealing the league title three games to go, Guardiola rested a lot of senior players in the remaining fixtures. Speaking about his squad in the press conference, Guardiola, as quoted by their club’s website, said, “They trained well last two sessions. They are all of them more or less fine.”
The manager then went on to explain why Stefan Ortega Moreno will start in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Even though Ederson has always been the undisputed number one for them in between the sticks, Guardiola stated why Ortega Moreno will play the game. “He [Ortega Moreno] is going to play. I have always been like that in the FA Cup. At Barcelona and Bayern as well. The keeper who plays in the FA Cup is going to play,” he elaborated.
Even though Manchester City are being considered as the heavy favourites in this tie, Guardiola is expecting nothing but a tough fight on Saturday. He believes past results count for nothing in a one-off final. “It’s a football game and in a final it’s how you will be in that moment. Over the 90 minutes. It’s not what you have done in the past. It’s about how good you are or how not good you are. It’s about how you perform individually, as a team, and all the details over this 90, 95 minutes. A final is that,” he stated.
He added: “It’s not important what you have done in the past or years ago, it’s just one game. We have to be the best version of ourselves to beat them. It should be good for us if we think about what we need to do to win one more game. Not like a title or finishing second or third, fourth or fifth. To analyse the strength of the opponent and how we believe the weaknesses they have and try to do it. It’s a football game, that is the most important thing. Surrounding it, outside, it’s normal, we can’t control it. The last two games of the season, we have to do what we have to do on the pitch to win.”
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