The 2015-16 FA Cup Final will take place this weekend with Crystal Palace and Manchester United looking to end their seasons on a positive note and put some silverware in their trophy cabinets. Continue reading for our FA Cup Final Preview and Betting Tips.
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Crystal Palace vs Manchester United (Sunday 2.30am AEST)
The Final of the oldest competition in football will be decided this weekend as these two sides play out their most important match in their respective seasons. Manchester United is coming off a disappointing season that has seen them miss out on a spot in the Champions League next season. There is still rumours surrounding their coach Luis Van Gaal and reports are saying that regardless of the result he will be sacked, however a loss would almost cement his destiny.
In previous years, a match up with Manchester United and Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final would see the Red Devils be massive favourites. Manchester United will enter this match as the favoured side by the bookmakers but they have shown over their recent years that they are far from the dominant side that teams feared for over a decade.
Manchester United weren’t a very fierce team in attack this season and they managed to score just 49 goals over the 38 matches. However, their success came on the back of their defence and mainly their goalkeeper David De Gea. The Spanish keeper won the player of the year award once again for Manchester United as he led from the back and made a majority of great saves throughout the year that almost led to him earning the golden gloves award for the premier league, however he narrowly missed the out on the award to Petr Cech.
Crystal Palace started the season strongly picking up great wins against big teams including defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. However, their season went downhill from there and they only cemented their position in the Premier League next season with a week to go in the competition. They scored only 39 goals whilst they conceded 51. Their midfield fell away during this period and that could be where Manchester United gets its advantage in this one. The Eagles will have the benefit of a full weeks rest as the Red Devils final day of the league was interrupted due to a bomb scare. That turned out to just be a mistake after a routine training exercise.
The Red Devils did manage to finish their season with a victory against Bournemouth but they finished behind crosstown rivals Manchester City due to their poor goal differential.
We are expecting this to be a close match, as Crystal Palace will be putting everything into this match. They will challenge the Red Devils but if David De Gea is switched on it will be incredibly difficult for the Eagles to put one past him. Meanwhile the Red Devils striker Marcus Rashford will be full of confidence after being selected in the England squad for the Euro 2016 midweek as his rapid rise continues at just 18 years of age. The French international Anthony Martial will also prove to be a hard player to defend and his pace could prove to be the biggest threat in this match. The Red Devils should be too strong in this contest and ultimately lift the FA Cup for the first time since 2005.
TIP: Manchester United @ $1.75 with Ladbrokes
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
