The Manchester City lineup for their match with Crystal Palace was a surprise to many. However, leaving out some of his top players shows how much the FA Cup final means to Pep Guardiola.
Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki, Nathan Aké, and Tijjani Reijnders all started the match on the bench. Whilst Nico O’Reilly was left out of the squad. This was a shock, as although Arsenal are in the driving seat to win the Premier League, the title race is still not over. Had City lost, then the title race would almost certainly have been over.
Doku, Cherki, and Ake all came on in the second half to ensure that City won the match 3-0. Haaland and Reijnders were left on the bench.
There has been speculation that this will be Guardiola's final season at City. Therefore, winning the FA Cup could be his parting gift to the club's supporters. Guardiola would have ideally wanted to leave City on the high of winning the Premier League. If City are to miss out on the division to Arsenal, this could lead to him staying for at least another season.
Pep Guardiola's top players will be fresh for the FA Cup final
City have already defeated Arsenal to win the EFL Cup this campaign, and could do a domestic double by winning the FA Cup on Saturday. Although their opponents, Chelsea, are enduring a bad season, Guardiola is clearly taking no chances with his squad. City are fortunate that they have such a big squad that they can rest these players and still defeat a good Premier League side convincingly.
By resting many of his top players, Guardiola knows that the Blues can step up in the final. Chelsea currently has Calum McFarlane in charge in his second stint as the club's caretaker boss this season. During his first stint, he guided the Blues to a credible 1-1 draw with City, so Guardiola knows what he can do.
After the FA Cup final, City still have to play AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa in their final league games of the season. Guardiola's side needs to win both and hope Arsenal slips up if they are to win the league title.
The Gunners just have to play already relegated Burnley and then Palace, who will be focusing on their Europa League final against Rayo Vallecano. Mikel Arteta's also have their own European final to play. They face Paris Saint-Germain in the conclusion of this season's Champions League.
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