Crystal Palace v Manchester City: Forecast, Odds and Bets

May 15, 2025

The FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City is set for 17th May at Wembley Stadium in London. Football fans will be tuning in from across Europe: in Italy, Germany, France and Spain the match kicks off at 17:30 CEST, while viewers in the UK can catch all the action at 16:30 BST.

This showpiece event marks the culmination of a thrilling domestic cup competition. Crystal Palace will be looking to pull off an upset against a Manchester City side brimming with talent, while the Citizens aim to add a record-extending eighth FA Cup trophy to their cabinet.

How are both teams coming into this?

Crystal Palace enjoyed a relatively smooth path to the final, dispatching Fulham and Aston Villa with identical 3-0 scorelines in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. In the Premier League they occupy 12th place with 49 points from 36 games—12 wins, 13 draws and 11 defeats—but their form has been patchy of late, with just one victory, three draws and one loss in their last five outings.

Manchester City arrive with a formidable cup pedigree, aiming to lift the FA Cup for the eighth time. They have dominated English football under Pep Guardiola, blending tactical sophistication with attacking flair. Although Palace will be spirited opponents, City’s depth and experience in big matches make them clear favourites.

Our forecast

We predict a Manchester City victory. Their relentless pressure and creative midfield should eventually break through a Palace defence that, while organised, has shown vulnerabilities against high-calibre attacks.

Additionally, backing over 2.5 goals seems shrewd given both sides’ tendency to find the net. A combination bet on City to win and the match producing more than 2.5 goals offers great value ahead of kick-off.