The English soccer season comes to a close tomorrow, as Manchester United and Chelsea meet at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup final.
The game kicks off at 12:15 p.m. EDT and fans can choose from a number of options to watch the action live. Fox Sports will broadcast the game live on TV and on its streaming services, while Fubo Premier, DirectTV Now and Sling TV will only be streaming the game live.
All three are paid services, but the former offers a seven-day trial, so fans can use it to watch the final and then cancel afterwards.
While the trophy might have lost some of the charm it held in the past, there will be plenty on the line for both sides at the iconic north London venue. In the second season under Jose Mourinho, United finished a whopping 19 points behind league winners Manchester City, while the European campaign ended with a meek surrender against Sevilla in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Mourinho has been strongly criticized for United's lethargic style of play and even though the Portuguese has guided the club to its highest league finish in five seasons, his position no longer appears rock solid.
Conversely, United has done well in big games this campaign, beating all the other sides in the top six for the first time since the 2010-11 season, and a win on Saturday would give Mourinho a third trophy in two seasons at the club.
Success in the FA Cup, which United last tasted in 2016 against Crystal Palace, would also see the 20-time champions of England equal Arsenal's record of 13 wins in the competition.
If United arrives at Wembley under a cloud, Chelsea will hardly carry any momentum into the game, on the back of a 1-1 draw at home against Huddersfield and a chastening 3-0 defeat away tp Newcastle.
The two results killed off the Blues' already slim hopes of securing a Champions League spot next season, as they finished outside the top four for only the third time in 15 years.
The FA Cup final will in all likelihood be Antonio Conte's final game as Chelsea manager, as the Italian is expected to leave West London following a season that has seen his relationship with the board damaged beyond repair.
The Blues' title defense never got going and they will be desperate to finish the season on a high after falling at the same hurdle last season, when Arsenal prevented them from winning the Double.
United and Chelsea have met in the FA Cup finals twice before. In 1994, Eric Cantona scored twice as United swept the Blues aside to win 4-0 and clinch the Double for the first time under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Meanwhile, in 2007, in the first game at the new Wembley Stadium, Mourinho guided Chelsea to a 1-0 win in extra time over a United side that had just dethroned the Blues as Premier League champions.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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