Manchester City will have just one omission from their first-team squad for the 2024 FA Cup Final against Manchester United this weekend, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions travel to Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a chance to claim their fourth piece of silverware of the season, following their European and global successes.
The campaign was kicked off with a UEFA Super Cup battle against Sevilla in Athens, while the FIFA Club World Cup success in Saudi Arabia would follow in December thanks to victories over Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense.
After claiming the English top-flight title for a record-breaking fourth year in a row, Manchester United stand in between City and a four-trophy haul this season, meeting in a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was questioned on whether he will have a fully-available squad for the contest at Wembley Stadium, with the exception of Ederson.
Confirming that to be the case, it now means that Ederson has played his final game for Manchester City this season, having been substituted during the second-half of the 0-2 win over Tottenham earlier this month.
The Brazilian shot stopper sustained a significant blow to the skull through a late challenge from Argentine centre-back Cristian Romero, with a Manchester City statement going on to reveal that the 30-year-old had in fact sustained a fractured eye socket.
While Stefan Ortega would have been expected to start this weekend regardless of Ederson’s availability, due to the German’s role of back-up goalkeeper for cup competitions in particular, it presents yet another golden opportunity for the 31-year-old to impress.
Rumours concerning both players’ futures are intensifying as the summer market approaches, with Ederson at the centre of high-profile interest from Saudi Arabia in particular, while Ortega could yet eye a consistent first-team number one slot elsewhere in Europe.