Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A City Treble will simply speed up their bid to be the greatest - and most valuable - club on earth
ON the Forbes money list, Manchester City are ranked the fifth most valuable club in the world.
Just 24 years ago, City were 2-0 down against Gillingham in what is now the League One play-off final.
If they win the FA Cup today and go on to clinch the Treble next Saturday, it can only accelerate the speed with which they will overtake Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona and Liverpool to reach No.1 on the planet.
After more than 140 years of rivalry, United and City finally meet in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Most pundits seem to think City will come out on top – and I’m one of them. I’m going for Pep Guradiola’s men to win 3-1.
It’s right that Pep was named Manager of the Season at the League Managers’ Association awards in midweek. City have won the title five years out of six, and at this stage I can’t see anyone stopping them becoming the first club ever to win four in a row next season.
When United beat City 2-1 at Old Trafford in January, thanks to Marcus Rashford’s hugely controversial winner, Erik ten Hag was still in with a chance of winning four trophies.
If he goes on to add the FA Cup to the League Cup – which ended the club’s six-year trophy drought – two cups and a top-four finish would represent a successful season for United. That’s two more trophies than Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
But on the big stage, with the Treble on the line, can Ten Hag find a way to stop City and Erling Haaland?
I’m not sure. The Norway striker’s 52 goals this season includes a hat-trick in last October’s Manchester derby at the Etihad.
And even if United manage to keep Haaland quiet, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva or Riyad Mahrez will come out to play instead.
If both teams play to their maximum level, City have to be favourites.
If United sit deep, and use the pace of Rashford (right) to hit City on the break, they can cause problems.
In Manchester derbies, Rashford has finished on the winning side six times in 13 starts, so it’s not been one-way traffic by any means.
Good luck to all 90,000 fans trying to reach the national stadium with a rail strike wiping out train services.
Without wishing to get too political, if football supporters have been targeted by industrial action, the unions have picked the wrong day.
But I can’t see City’s bid for the Treble hitting the buffers.