'Erling Haaland will score' - Pep Guardiola promises Man City striker will end Wembley hoodoo in FA Cup final against Chelsea

Despite establishing himself as one of the most clinical forwards in world football with 161 goals for City, Haaland faces an astonishing dry spell at the national stadium. The 25-year-old Norwegian has failed to find the net in any of his previous 15 major cup semi-finals and finals for the club, including eight appearances spanning 601 minutes on the Wembley turf. City enter their fourth consecutive FA Cup final desperate to break a poor run, having lost the last two showpiece matches to Manchester United and Crystal Palace, respectively.

Addressing the media during his pre-match press conference, Guardiola reacted with good humour when questioned about his talismanic striker's surprising lack of goals in showpiece fixtures.

The Spanish tactician welcomed the statistic before guaranteeing a definitive end to the drought. Guardiola said: “Good. I like these kind of questions. Tomorrow it’s going to happen. The opposite side don’t ask me the question, on this side it’s good. Tomorrow he will score.”

City enter the historic tie as heavy favourites against an out-of-form Chelsea side that looks set to miss out on European qualification. Having already secured the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in March, Guardiola is chasing a historic domestic cup double to salvage a season that could still result in a domestic treble, depending on the final league outcome. City also boast a formidable defensive and tactical record against the West Londoners, remaining unbeaten in their last 13 encounters across all competitions since the 2021 Champions League final.

Following the conclusion of Saturday's showpiece, City must immediately shift their focus back to a thrilling Premier League title race against Arsenal. Guardiola’s side have just two crucial top-flight fixtures remaining to overhaul the current league leaders and secure a monumental domestic treble. Meanwhile, Chelsea view this final as a definitive, one-off opportunity to secure silverware and rescue what has otherwise been a highly disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

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