Kick-off: 1645, 22/04/2023
Stadium: Wembley
TV: ITV
Manchester City are expected to stay on course for the Treble by brushing aside Sheffield United in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.
The Blades have enjoyed a thrilling run to Wembley, including a win over Tottenham, but look ill-equipped for this daunting task.
We’re taking 87/100 for the Blues to win to nil as our first Man City vs Sheff Utd prediction.
De Bruyne: Busy schedule ‘a privilege’
Admittedly, this match does come at a tricky time for City, in between two other crucial contests.
The Blues had to battle hard to see off Bayern Munich in the Champions League and face a potential Premier League title decider against Arsenal next Wednesday.
However, Pep Guardiola has great strength in depth at his disposal and Kevin De Bruyne insisted such a hectic schedule is a blessing, not a curse.
“It is going to be a quick turnaround,” the midfielder said. “The schedule is what it is. It is very hard for us but it is a privilege playing in all these semi-finals.
“A lot of people want to be in our position. We are proud but we have to go on.”
In this competition, City have been nothing short of ruthless, coming through four rounds with a combined score of 14-0.
Crushing Chelsea 4-0 was an early statement of intent, Arsenal were edged out 1-0, there was a 3-0 victory at Bristol City and Burnley were thrashed 6-0.
Julian Alvarez scored in round three and hit a double against the Clarets in the quarter-finals, so he could start instead of a rested Erling Haaland.
Looking at the Man City vs Sheff Utd odds, the Argentina striker is 12/5 to break the deadlock here.
Blades to be game, but outgunned
Sheffield United kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a smooth 2-0 success at Millwall but then had to survive a major scare at non-league Wrexham.
The Blades trailed 3-2 and were down to 10 men entering stoppage time in Wales, but John Egan stepped up to save the day.
In the replay, United were being held at 1-1 until Billy Sharp and Sander Berge struck in the closing stages.
A 1-0 home win over Spurs showed the Yorkshire club are up for the cup, despite also chasing automatic promotion from the Championship.
Their quarter-final triumph over Blackburn was another thriller, with the Blades twice coming from behind before Tommy Doyle snatched a last-gasp decider.
Unfortunately, promising midfielder Doyle and in-form forward James Mcatee are ineligible for this match, as they are on loan from City.
Paul Heckingbottom has vowed to give it a go at Wembley, stating: “We can forget about the league on Saturday. It is how we have approached all the FA Cup games.
“The focus is on one of the best teams in the world now. If we get promoted, that’s what we will be playing, so why not test ourselves now? We will enjoy the game, whatever happens.”
Sadly, we can’t see this fairytale run having a happy ending and 13/2 for the Blues to win 3-0 completes our Man City vs Sheff Utd betting tips.
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