The world’s oldest domestic cup competition takes centre stage this Saturday when Chelsea and Man City collide in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. However, prior to that, Aston Villa and Liverpool will be fighting for a Champions League place when both teams go head-to-head on today.

Event # 1 – EPL – Aston Villa vs Liverpool – 2:00 PM

Villa Park will play host to a fascinating match today as Aston Villa and Liverpool meet in an eagerly anticipated matchup, with both teams aiming for Champions League football. Aston Villa and Liverpool are both on 39 points, with Villa trailing fifth in the table by virtue of an inferior goal difference to Liverpool. There’s no doubt that Villa’s Premier League form has suffered due to their involvement in the Europa League, but the struggle has been worth it, as they have booked their place in the Europa League Final, and if they beat Freiburg in the final on May 20, they would secure Champions League football for next season.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will enter this match off the back of another disappointing display, after playing to a 1-1 home draw with struggling Chelsea last weekend. Indeed, Liverpool lost their last away match at rivals Manchester United, but they are almost there in terms of securing Champions League football for next season — victory from one of their final two league matches would seal it. However, as far-fetch as it sounds, Liverpool could still finish third this season, but they would need to win their final two matches and hope that third placed Manchester United lose both of theirs, which seems highly unlikely based on both teams’ current forms.

Key Stats

• Aston Villa has won three of their last four home matches, while scoring over 3.5 goals, and five of their last seven while scoring over 1.5 goals.

• Liverpool has lost three of their last four away matches in the Premier League, with over 2.5 goals being scored on each occasion.

• Both sides – Liverpool is unbeaten in their last 11 head-to-head clashes with Aston Villa, but they have lost six of their last eight away matches.

The betting Tip. Draw.

Event # FA Cup final – Chelsea vs Manchester City – 9:00 AM

Manchester City and Chelsea will go head-to-head at the Wembley Stadium tomorrow, -Saturday, May 16, for the right to be crowned English FA Cup champions. With that said, Chelsea enters this vital game struggling for form, having gone winless in their last seven overall matches, including a 1-1 draw at the weekend with another struggling side in the form of Liverpool. However, Chelsea has won just three of their last 12 matches with all three wins coming in the FA Cup competition, which should provide confidence ahead of this clash.

The Blues, Chelsea, will be making their 17th appearance in the FA Cup Final, losing eight and winning eight. But it would be a notable concern that they have lost in each of their last three appearances. Also, it’s worth noting that four of Chelsea’s five wins in this season’s FA Cup competition have come against teams from outside of the Premier League.

Manchester City could yet make history in this 2025/26 campaign, as they remain in the hunt for a domestic treble after having already securing the EFL Cup earlier in the season. Victory on Saturday would see Manchester City become only the sixth team to win both domestic cup competitions in the same season. City’s record in the FA Cup in recent times has been excellent, having reached the last four finals; however, they have lost each of their previous two. With that said, the light Blues, City, go into this match in excellent form having won four of their last five matches, compared to their opponents Chelsea winless in their last seven.

Key Stats

•Chelsea’s last home win against Manchester City was in 2020 – they are listed as the home side for the final.

•Man City is unbeaten in their last eight overall matches, winning four of the last five during this run.

•Both sides – Chelsea and Man City are meeting in the FA Cup Final for the first time ever; however, Manchester City has won four of their last five head-to-head clashes, with the other a 1-1 draw.

The betting Tip. Manchester City win.

Manchester City’s Brazilian midfielder Savinho (right) pushes Crystal Palace’s Spanish midfielder Yeremy Pino in the face as they vie for the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north-west England, on May 13, 2026. (Photo: AFP)