FA Cup Final Odds: The Panel's 3 Best Bets For Crystal Palace Vs Manchester City
The FA Cup final takes place this weekend as Crystal Palace take on Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.
City are chasing an eighth FA Cup success and are appearing in their third final on the bounce.
Meanwhile this is only the third time in their entire 120-year history that Palace are in the tournament’s showpiece match, and they are seeking to get their hands on the club’s first ever piece of silverware.
City booked their spot in the final courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, while Palace demolished Aston Villa 3-0 in their last-four tie.
We've selected three great bets on football betting sites from what should be an entertaining encounter on Saturday, but who will come out on top when Pep Guardiola’s seasoned winners meet Oliver Glasner’s impressive upstarts?
The Panel's 3 Best Bets For The FA Cup Final
The Panel Pick 1: Manchester City To Beat Crystal Palace - 3/4 With Betway
The Panel Pick 2: Both Teams To Score - 8/11 With Betfred
The Panel Pick 3: Kevin De Bruyne To Score/Assist - Evens With William Hill
FA Cup Final Betting: Manchester City To Prosper
Crystal Palace have performed brilliantly to reach the final and blew Villa away on their last appearance at the national stadium, turning in a fearless display full of vim and vigour.
They will give Manchester City a game on Saturday. Overall, though, Guardiola’s men should edge it.
Make no mistake, City are still far from their best. Results have picked up recently.
However, they no longer control games as they once did and it is a lot easier to create chances against City than it was last season.
Just ask Palace. In a recent league meeting between the two sides, the Eagles raced into a 2-0 lead at the Eithad Stadium and had opportunities to go 3-0 up.
FA Cup Wins:
Manchester City | 7 - (1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011, 2019, 2023) |
Crystal Palace | 0 |
However, City came roaring back to win 5-2. Palace could not live with their superior attacking talent on the day.
That could make the difference in the final. Moreover, City’s squad contains a great deal more big-game experience than this group of Palace players.
That is significant when the stakes are as high as they will be on Saturday.
They will certainly not have everything their own way, but City should find a way to get the job done within 90 minutes.
The Panel Pick 1: Manchester City To Beat Crystal Palace - 3/4 With Betway
FA Cup Final Prediction: BTTS To Land Again
As mentioned above, Manchester City are not the defensive force they once were. That should give Crystal Palace hope, more than anything else.
Nottingham Forest were unfortunate to draw a blank against City in the semis, as were Wolves in a recent Premier League encounter.
City rank sixth in the division for expected goals against. That is hardly a disastrous position, but it demonstrates how their rearguard has become leakier this term.
Palace themselves have scored four goals against Guardiola’s men this season, and while the Eagles might be an unspectacular 12th in the table, that is not because they struggle to create chances.
The details for the 2024-25 #EmiratesFACup Final have been confirmed! 🤩
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 3, 2025
🗓️ Saturday 17 May
⏰ 4.30pm KO (BST)
In fact, Palace are level with Arsenal on expected goals. Their finishing has let them down at times, but Ebere Eze’s return to form and Jean-Philippe Mateta’s return to fitness have helped massively in that regard.
At the other end, Palace will find it difficult to keep City out. True, Erling Haaland was quiet against Southampton last weekend, but it only takes a second for the Norwegian to make a decisive impact.
City have plenty of other attacking options around him and on the bench too.
Betting apps paid out on BTTS in the last two FA Cup finals, which involved City, and this one should follow suit.
The Panel Pick 2: Both Teams To Score - 8/11 With Betfred
FA Cup Final Odds: De Bruyne To Shine One Last Time
Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show when City came from 2-0 down to beat Palace 5-2 in April.
The Belgium international rolled back the years that afternoon to drag his team back into the match.
It was a vintage De Bruyne performance, with the attacking midfielder at the heart of everything.
De Bruyne is on his way out of the Eithad so this will be his last meaningful match.
After winning 14 major trophies at City, he will be desperate to get his hands on one more prize before signing off.
The 33-year-old is not the player he once was and has lost some of his power and drive in recent seasons.
Yet he still has the quality to have a major influence on this final. City’s XI is always hard to predict, but it would be a massive surprise if De Bruyne was not in it against Palace.
Round off your bet slip on your favourite betting site by backing the Belgian to have a direct hand in at least one City goal, either by scoring or assisting.
The Panel Pick 3: Kevin De Bruyne To Score/Assist - Evens With William Hill
