Man City is chasing a treble. Chelsea is in turmoil. FA Cup final looks like a mismatch, but is it?

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — This season's FA Cup has already delivered the biggest upset in its 155-year history. Why not one more?

While, on the face of it, victory for Chelsea against Manchester City in Saturday's final would not go down as one of the more memorable shocks in the history of soccer's oldest knockout competition, it would certainly upset the odds.

Consider the fortunes of both teams going into the Wembley showpiece.

City is still in contention for a domestic treble of trophies, having already won the English League Cup. It is second in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal with two rounds to go, and has only lost one domestic match since the end of November.

The form is certainly with Pep Guardiola's team, even if his current class feels below the standard of his greatest in his time at City.

Chelsea, meanwhile, despite spending more than $1 billion to assemble a squad that won the Club World Cup less than a year ago, is in turmoil.

Two coaches have been fired since the turn of the year. Liam Rosenior lasted less than four months and was shown the door in April after a run of seven losses in eight games in all competitions.

The record has hardly improved since then, with Chelsea still without a league win in seven games and looking likely to miss out on Champions League qualification next season.

It is relying on a novice interim coach to try to end the campaign on a high note and deny Guardiola what would be his 17th major trophy at City and his 35th overall.

Calum McFarlane was promoted from an academy role at Chelsea to fill in as interim after Club World Cup-winning coach Enzo Maresca was fired in January.

Now he's back in that position after Rosenior's exit.

McFarlane vs. Guardiola feels like a mismatch of epic proportions. Or is it?

Despite his extremely limited experience as a head coach, McFarlane, who was formerly part of City's academy, has already produced some standout results.

Not least when taking charge of Chelsea's 1-1 draw at City in January.

Since being reinstated, he steered the team to victory against Leeds in the FA Cup semifinals and a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last week.

In that sense, he is making a habit of producing performances on the big occasion.

So while a victory against City would not quite compare with sixth-tier Macclesfield eliminating titleholder Crystal Palace in the third round, a novice coach leading crisis-struck Chelsea to triumph at Wembley is an unlikely storyline in its own right.

In the Premier League, Brighton look to strengthen its push for Champions League qualification against Leeds.

Brighton is seventh and can move up to sixth with a win, above Bournemouth which doesn't play City until Tuesday.

West Ham can climb out of the bottom three with a win at Newcastle. It would leapfrog Tottenham, which plays Chelsea on Tuesday.

Arsenal can move a step closer to the title when it plays relegated Burnley on Monday,

But the biggest match of the weekend in the UK is in Scotland where Celtic hosts Hearts in the final game of the season.

It is a winner-takes-all match with Hearts one point above second-place Celtic. A draw would be enough for Hearts to win its first league title since 1960. Defending champion Celtic must win to retain its trophy.

Marc Guehi was part of the Palace team that was stunned by Macclesfield in January. Now he is one game away from lifting the FA Cup, which he won with Palace by beating City in last year's final.

Chelsea hopes Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho will be available for the FA Cup final after muscle injuries. Rodri and Abdukodir Khusanov are in contention for City.

Arsenal defender Ben White is out for the season with medial ligament damage.

Despite seeing Liverpool's Premier League title defense unravel this season and boos from fans, coach Arne Slot is convinced his job is safe.

“I don’t think I am deciding that alone, but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season," he said.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, right, celebrates with Manchester City's Omar Marmoush after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday condemned Norway’s move to revoke the export license for a naval missile system for Malaysia's navy, warning it could damage confidence in European defense suppliers.

Anwar said he raised Malaysia’s “vehement objection” during a phone call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, after Oslo blocked delivery of the Naval Strike Missile system and launcher components intended for Malaysia’s littoral combat ship program.

“Malaysia has honored every obligation under this contract since 2018: scrupulously, faithfully and without equivocation,” Anwar said in a statement. “Norway, it appears, has not felt compelled to extend us the same courtesy and demonstration of good faith."

The missile manufacturer, Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS, said export licensing decisions are handled entirely by Norwegian authorities, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

The Norwegian government hasn't made any public comments on the cancellation of the missile system or Anwar's remarks.

Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told local media that the government had already paid nearly 95% of the contract value when Oslo blocked delivery in March.

The NSM anti-ship missile system was meant to equip Malaysia’s new class of littoral combat ships as part of its modernization efforts.

Anwar said Oslo's move would hurt Malaysia's operational readiness and "undoubtedly carry broader ramifications for the regional balance.”

He questioned the reliability of European defense suppliers if signed agreements could be reversed unilaterally.

“Signed contracts are solemn instruments. They are not confetti to be scattered in so capricious a manner,” the Malaysian leader said. “If European defense suppliers reserve the right to renege with impunity, their value as strategic partners flies out the window.”

Khaled said the government was now examining legal options and possible compensation claims over the cancelled delivery.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends the Special Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu province, Philippines, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Rolex Dela Pena/Pool Photo via AP)