Man City boss Pep Guardiola faces FA Cup final dilemma over whether to stick with Stefan Ortega – who has played every domestic cup fixture – or bring in Ederson for their mammoth clash with Manchester United
- Pep Guardiola has a big decision to make over who he should start in goal
- Stefan Ortega has played every domestic cup fixture for Man City this season
- The decision not to start Ederson in last year’ FA Cup semi-final cost Man City
Pep Guardiola faces a major selection dilemma over who to start in goal ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final.
Manchester City are chasing a historic Treble, with the first of two showpieces coming against rivals Manchester United at Wembley.
Second-choice goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has played every single domestic cup fixture this season but the magnitude of Saturday’s encounter leaves the City boss with a headache – to persevere with the 30-year-old or pick regular No 1 Ederson between the sticks.
The decision to pick back-up goalkeeper Zack Steffen in last year’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool proved a mistake, as two high-profile errors by the American contributed to City going three goals down before half-time.
Steffen also made a mistake in the 2021 semi-final against Chelsea.
Stefan Ortega (left) has started every domestic cup fixture this season but it would be a brave decision to leave Ederson (right) out of the starting line-up against Manchester United
Pep Guardiola faces a selection dilemma in goal ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup final
Guardiola does have form for going back to Ederson in major matches, with youngster Arijanet Muric benched for the 2019 Carabao Cup final despite having played in every round until then.
Ederson said on Thursday that Guardiola will be up front with his decision-making regardless.
‘He’s the kind of coach who says whatever he has to say to you to your face,’ the Brazilian said.
‘He’s very demanding. His mind is constantly filled with thoughts but we know him.
‘When it’s time to criticise you, he criticises you. When it’s time to swear at you, he swears at you. When it’s time to praise you, he praises you.’
Meanwhile, Ruben Dias has warned that City will derail their Treble bid if they allow themselves to dream of making history.
Dias, who has declared himself fit for tomorrow’s derby and the Champions League final after failing to train for 10 days, said: ‘We definitely know what we’re going for and we really want it. But we know if we start to think too far ahead then it will kill us. We’ve not done anything yet. Little by little.’
City’s decision to play Zack Steffen (pictured) over Ederson proved costly in the semi-finals of the same competition last year when they played another one of their rivals in Liverpool
