Women’s FA Cup Final Prediction: Man United to experience Wembley glory

The excitement is palpable ahead of the Women’s FA Cup final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, which will see one of these teams win this illustrious competition for the very first time. We are expecting a massive audience for this one, which kicks-off in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley at 14:30 on Sunday afternoon and will be shown live on BBC One. 

Below you can find my Women’s FA Cup Final prediction, as Manchester United take on Spurs, looking to right the wrongs from last season.

Team News

The big news from both teams arguably comes from a player that won’t feature, rather than a player who will. 21-year-old Grace Clinton has been the star for Spurs this season in attacking midfield, and is near the top of the charts for both goals and assists. She’s even broken into the England squad and looks like the next big thing, however, she cannot play in the final, as she is on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United. 

She is likely to play a big part for Marc Skinner’s side next term, despite massive interest from the London club. The pace of Jessica Naz will be crucial for manager Robert Vilahamn, and he secured a 2-2 draw in the Women’s Super League against the same opponent, despite also missing Clinton for that match. Celin Bizet is available having come off the bench against Everton as the underdogs look to cause a shock at Wembley. 

Manchester United meanwhile will welcome Jayde Riviere back into the squad after she returned from injury over the weekend, getting 30 minutes under her belt. Gabby George, Emma Watson and Jess Simpson remain long-term absentees, but there are not believed to be any fresh injury concerns for Skinner to contend with. 

Match Odds

Manchester United are the favourites to win this game, priced at 2/5 to win in 90 minutes. That gives them a win probability of 72%, while Spurs are the rank outsiders at 11/2. If you fancy this final to go to extra-time, you can back a draw at 16/5, while over 2.5 goals is 5/6 and BTTS is 11/10.

Manchester United to win and BTTS @ 5/2

Both of these teams have done exceptionally well to reach this final, and a new name on the trophy is exactly what is needed. Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have been the only winners of the FA Cup over the past decade and in front of a record-breaking crowd for a Women’s FA Cup Final, there’s genuine hope of an upset. 

Vilahamn’s Spurs have already written their own piece of history simply by reaching this stage, and it is the first time they have ever reached the FA Cup final. We know that Manchester United are back for the second consecutive year, but will they be able to right the wrongs of 2023 - when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Chelsea? Skinner will be desperate to get things right this time around, and this time they are favourites for glory, unlike 12 months ago. 

There are so many layers to this final, but I think Clinton’s absence will ultimately hinder Spurs. It has also been revealed that Nikita Parris rejected a big-money move to the United States last month, but the United forward rejected the offer as she wanted the chance to play in this FA Cup Final. The deal would have been a record-sale for the women’s team, but Parris has her eyes set on this date with destiny at Wembley. 

She has already won this competition twice with Manchester City, but now wants to bring a major trophy to the red side of Manchester on Sunday afternoon. It’s a brave stance to take but one that also shows the mindset of this United squad as we approach the final. 

I do think it will be closer than the odds suggest, given what we saw in the 2-2 draw recently. United needed an injury-time equaliser from Maya Le Tissier to rescue a point on that day, and since the turn of the year Spurs have drastically improved. They now sit just seven points behind United in fifth, and I believe they will score in this final. 

With the relentless Bethany England up front, supported by some talented players in the form of Matilda Vinberg and Martha Thomas, they should be able to cause problems. Both teams have scored in the last four Spurs matches, including in the semi-final where they edged past Leicester with a 2-1 success. 

They’ve since drawn three games in a row, but I just fancy Skinner’s men, with their quality to get the job done. Even though they lost to Liverpool last time out, the likes of Ella Toone, Leah Galton and Lucía García could cause havoc at Wembley. 

This should be an absolutely thrilling Cup final. We’ve got one underdog experiencing it all for the first time, and one giant looking to right the wrongs of last season. I’m backing United to win this one and BTTS at 5/2. 

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