preview

The concrete walls of the David Geffen Galleries were still bare Thursday evening. The landscaping outside was still settling in, and pockets of construction were still visible. But the minute the music poured out of the upstairs entryway, it finally hit: The new LACMA was actually here.

After five years of construction, so much debate about its scale, design and ambitions, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held its first event Thursday night inside the Peter Zumthor-designed building. A sprawling, immersive concert by composer and SoCal jazz hero Kamasi Washington called for multiple bands, each with about a dozen musicians, to play site-specific arrangements throughout the empty galleries before art has been installed. A woodwind ensemble overlooked Park La Brea through floor-to-ceiling glass; a choir stacked harmonies that floated over the span of the structure as it crossed Wilshire Boulevard.

Hundreds of VIPs and members of the media took it all in. The project has its skeptics, including how the museum’s permanent collection will function in it. But for now, museum members could slink about the echoing halls of L.A.’s newest landmark and ponder the possibilities.

Guests at the sneak peek inside the new building Thursday cross a glass-lined expanse that crosses over Wilshire Boulevard.

LACMA Director Michael Govan addresses members of the media assembled for the first public peek inside the empty building, which still needs to complete some construction details and install the art before opening, targeted for April 2026.

The design of the museum has morphed over the years, from a dark, curvaceous amoeba-like form that echoed the nearby La Brea Tar Pits to a design that retains the curves up top but shifts to rectilinear glass on the galleries level below.

The preview event Thursday featured musicians staged throughout the building.

Preview events give museum members a chance to view Zumthor’s design before art is installed. One of the lingering questions is how the concrete walls will fare given the museum’s new plan to shift from permanent collection displays to ever-rotating exhibitions — and all the rehanging of artworks that will be required.

The setting sun casts long shadows from visitors looking out toward the rooftop of Renzo Piano’s Resnick Pavilion and, off in the distance on the left, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ domed terrace.

Artist Tony Smith’s installation “Smoke” has a new home outside the David Geffen Galleries. The museum recently announced the addition of a forthcoming Jeff Koons’ sculpture, “Split-Rocker.”

When the new building opens in April 2026, LACMA has said, the ticketing process will be handled at kiosks on the ground level.

Inside another one of the galleries. Some of the architecture-circle speculation about the building has centered on the finish of the building’s concrete, inside and out.

The view from the David Geffen Galleries as it crosses Wilshire Boulevard.

Times art critic Christopher Knight, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his early analysis of the LACMA building plan, and Times music critic Mark Swed attended the preview concert event Thursday. Check back for their first impressions of the new space.

Where to begin? It’s got to be the second game on Sunday as defending champions Armagh face Kerry in a repeat of last year’s semi-final.

That game required extra-time and nerves of steel, but the Orchardmen got there by two points on their way to claiming the big prize. As a result, Kerry will have revenge on their minds.

The Kingdom had 10 points to spare when they grabbed the league points in Tralee back in March, but both teams will have a different look on Sunday as success will only be measured for the year by the end of July.

Armagh may have came up short on Ulster final day for a third year running, but they bounced back in the All-Ireland group stage with wins over Derry and Dublin to see them through to the last eight with a game to spare and even in defeat to Galway two weeks ago, there were plusses despite Barry McCambridge and Paddy Burns called ashore early on after picking up knocks.

Kerry also lost the last of their group games, stunned by Meath in Tullamore, but unlike Armagh, this came with repercussions as they were forced into second and therefore had to return to action last week when they swatted Cavan aside with David Clifford netting a hat-trick of goals.

His form is central to Kerry hopes and Jack O’Connor will have been delighted to get Paudie Clifford back on the field, but they did lose Mike Breen and Diarmuid O’Connor prior to throw-in to add to their injury woes.

It came down to fine margins last year and it will undoubtedly be the same this time around with Kerry ravenous for an ambush, while Armagh is not ready to relinquish their title yet.

For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Indiana will play at Oklahoma City on Sunday night in the final game of the season, with the winner getting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the finals, but a road team — Cleveland, over Golden State — won the most recent of those games in 2016.

A look inside some numbers surrounding this matchup:

Odds are, nobody’s scoring 40

There have been only two 40-point scoring performances in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and both came in losing efforts.

Jerry West scored 42 points in Game 7 of the 1969 series, but the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Bill Russell’s final game. And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well.

Bob Pettit had the third-highest scoring total in a Game 7. He had 39 for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics in 1957 … and Boston won that game as well.

The highest-scoring Game 7s in a winning effort? Those would be by Boston’s Tom Heinsohn in that 1957 game against St. Louis and Miami’s LeBron James in the 2013 series against San Antonio. Both had 37; Heinsohn’s was a double-overtime game, James got his in regulation.

And no team might break 100, either

Yes, these are high-scoring teams. Oklahoma City was No. 4 in points per game in the regular season (120.5 per game) and Indiana was No. 7 (117.4). The Thunder are second in that category in the playoffs (115.2), just ahead of No. 3 Indiana (115.1).

In Game 7, that might not matter much.

No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988. Or even topped 95 points, for that matter.

Coach Pat Riley, left, gets a hug from Wes Matthews after the Lakers defeated the Pistons in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals.

(Bob Galbraith / Associated Press)

The last five Game 7s:

— 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89

— 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88

— 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79

— 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74

— 1994, Houston 90, New York 84

The last finals Game 7 to see someone hit the century mark was when the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988.

Expect a close one

The average margin of victory in Game 7 of an NBA Finals: 6.9 points.

Each of the last eight such games have been decided by single digits. Only four have been double-digit wins: Boston over St. Louis by 19 in 1960, Minneapolis over New York by 17 in 1952, Boston over Milwaukee by 15 in 1974 and New York over the Lakers by 14 in 1970.

The closest Game 7 in the finals was Syracuse beating Fort Wayne 92-91 in 1955. That was one of six Game 7s decided by three points or less.

By seed

The Thunder are the 22nd No. 1 seed to play in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Their 21 predecessors on that list are 12-9 in the ultimate game; seven of those games have been ones where both teams entered the playoffs as No. 1 seeds.

The Pacers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the title round. Their three predecessors went 1-2 (Boston beat the Lakers in 1969, Seattle lost to Washington in 1978 and the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010).

Game 7 experience

It’ll be the fourth Game 7 for Indiana forwards Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Siakam’s teams have gone 2-1 in Game 7s, Turner’s have gone 1-2.

Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith is 2-0 in the pair of Game 7s in which he has played, with Indiana winning at New York last year and Boston beating Milwaukee in 2022. Both of those wins were in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, driving agianst Thunder forward Chet Holmgren in a Game 6 win, has twice been on teams that won Game 7s.

(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP, has averaged 27 points in two previous Game 7s. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points in his lone Game 7 to this point.

No player on either side has previously been part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

New for some refs, too

The NBA doesn’t announce referee assignments until game day, so it won’t be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7.

This much is certain: for at least two of the referees, it’ll be the first time on the NBA Finals Game 7 stage.

Scott Foster — who would seem a likely pick this year — worked Game 7 in 2013 alongside Dan Crawford and Monty McCutchen, and Game 7 of the title series in 2010 with Dan Crawford and Joe Crawford.

The most recent Game 7 was in 2016 and the crew for that game was Dan Crawford, McCutchen and Mike Callahan.

Outside of Foster, no referee in this year’s pool has been on the court for a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid
What: FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Where: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, United States
When: Sunday, June 15, 12:00pm PDT kickoff (19:00 GMT)

How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 6pm (16:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport.

Freshly crowned kings of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain, are treating FIFA’s lucrative new-look FIFA Club World Club not as a nuisance at the end of an exhausting season but as a serious objective.

“I think it is an incredible competition,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said of the Club World Cup in the immediate aftermath of his team’s UEFA Champions League triumph in Munich.

“Our aim is to be competitive and try to win a fifth trophy of the season.”

The Qatar-backed French giants could be forgiven for wanting some time to bask in the glory of their 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in Munich, which allowed them to finally win the Champions League for the first time in their history.

There had been numerous agonising failures in Europe’s elite club competition, as well as billions of euros spent on transfer fees for stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, prior to captain Marquinhos raising the trophy aloft.

“We have made history for the club, for the city and for the whole country,” defender Lucas Hernandez told the sports daily L’Equipe, after the PSG squad paraded their trophy down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, attended a reception with President Emmanuel Macron and celebrated with almost 50,000 fans at their Parc des Princes stadium.

Will PSG play their star names at the Club World Cup?

PSG have played 58 matches since last August, and also swept all the available domestic trophies in France this season, as has become the norm in recent years.

But there is simply no time to stop and reflect.

Many of their players, including Champions League final hero Desire Doue, spent last week on international duty before returning to their club and departing for Los Angeles, where they will begin their FIFA Club World Cup adventure this weekend.

“The tournament itself is a really attractive prospect,” Luis Enrique told FIFA.com.

“We have to strike the balance between managing the physical and mental fatigue we’re experiencing now at the end of a long season and harnessing the motivation that comes with being involved in the competition.”

PSG’s opening game is against another European heavyweight as they take on Antoine Griezmann’s Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, on Sunday.

They will then also face South American champions Botafogo, of Brazil, before moving north to take on Seattle Sounders in their remaining Group B matches.

Expected to qualify for the knockout phase without too many issues, PSG could end up playing a total of seven matches if they make it all the way to the final in New York on July 13 – just a month before their scheduled first game of next season in the UEFA Supercup against Tottenham Hotspur.

Have PSG made any new signings since their Champions League win?

The strain of such a long campaign is telling, with Ousmane Dembele – their top scorer this season with 33 goals – struggling with an injury picked up playing for France last week.

They did not manage to add any new players to their squad during the brief transfer window that opened at the start of this month ahead of the tournament. Reported interest in Bournemouth’s Ukrainian defender, Illia Zabarnyi, did not turn into anything concrete.

But the rewards for success in the Club World Cup are enticing and should be enough to keep Luis Enrique’s squad focused on their objective, with up to a stunning $125 million in prize money on offer for the best-performing European team if they manage to go all the way.

Paris Saint-Germain (France) full squad:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matvey Safonov, Arnau Tenas
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Lucas Peraldo, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Lucas Hernandez, William Pacho, Noham Kamara
Midfielders: Gabriel Moscardo, Fabian Ruiz, Joao Neves, Senny Mayulu, Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha
Forwards: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Lee Kang-In, Bradley Barcola, Ibrahim Mbaye

Atletico Madrid (Spain) full squad:

Goalkeepers: Joan Musso, Jan Oblak, Antonio Gomis, Salvi Esquivel
Defenders: Jose Maria Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta, Clement Lenglet, Nahuel Molina, Axel Witsel, Javi Galan, Reinildo, Robin Le Normand, Ilias Kostis
Midfielders: Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo De Paul, Koke, Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Samu Lino, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo Riquelme, Javi Serrano, Taufik Seidu, Rayane Belaid
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Alexander Sorloth, Angel Correa, Carlos Martin, Julian Alvarez, Guiliano Simeone

Who: Inter Miami vs Al Ahly
What: FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, United States.
When: Saturday, June 14 – 8pm kickoff (00:00 GMT on Sunday, June 15)

How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 6pm (16:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport.

The rebranded and expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off on Saturday, and the organisers have picked a plum tie to launch the 32-team tournament.

Inter Miami and their star name, Lionel Messi, take on the most successful side in world football – Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

Al Jazeera takes a look at the first match of the monthlong event.

How did Inter Miami qualify for the Club World Cup?

Miami finished as the club with the most points in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season, handing them a place at the Club World Cup instead of LA Galaxy, who won the MLS Cup, which is regarded as the highest prize in the MLS.

FIFA announced Miami’s addition to the Club World Cup in October after they broke MLS’s regular-season points record with a 6-2 win over New England Revolution to reach 74 points – one better than the previous record set by New England in 2021.

How did Al Ahly qualify for the Club World Cup?

Al Ahly were crowned CAF (Confederation of Africa Football) Champions League winners two seasons ago to qualify for this tournament.

They were, however, dethroned as Africa’s continental kings last season, leading to the departure of the coach, Marcel Koller, following their loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the semifinals of CAF’s showpiece.

Jose Riveiro, who coached Orlando Pirates of South Africa last season, has been appointed as the new coach, and Inter Miami will mark his first game in charge.

Does David Beckham still co-own Inter Miami?

Former England and Manchester United midfielder David Beckham bought a $25m stake in the franchise that would become Inter Miami in 2014. In doing so, he was exercising a clause from his contract during his playing days with the MLS.

Inter Miami eventually debuted in 2020 and is also co-owned by American business magnates, Jorge and Jose Mas, although Beckham is very much the figurehead of the club.

How many Club World Cups has Messi won?

Messi is a two-time winner of the competition. The Argentine forward lifted the trophy with Barcelona on both occasions in 2009 and 2011. He may well come up against his manager at the time.

Much of Miami’s chances rest on Messi’s shoulders. “He’s in good shape this season. There were moments when we had to give him some time to rest, but he’s played the last 15 games, except for the match against Dallas when we rested the entire squad,” said Inter manager Javier Mascherano.

“We were also fortunate he was able to rest during Argentina’s last two games,” he added, referring to Messi playing 111 minutes in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia earlier this month.

“It’s our responsibility to create the right environment for him to shine.”

Are Al Ahly the most successful club in the world?

Al Ahly have won an astonishing 155 trophies, including their 45th league title this season.

That is balanced against Real Madrid’s 15 UEFA Champions League titles in the world’s premier club competition, along with the Spanish giants claiming the La Liga title on 36 occasions.

Who else is in Inter Miami and Al Ahly’s group?

Brazilian club Palmeiras and Portuguese giants Porto complete Group A.

Here is the full list of the eight groups:

• Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
• Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
• Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
• Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, LAFC
• Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
• Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD FC, Mamelodi Sundowns
• Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
• Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg

Head-to-head

This is a first meeting between the sides as the Concacaf representatives come face-to-face with the CAF (Confederation of African Football) square up.

Inter Miami team news

Coach Javier Mascherano has been forced to re-shuffle his backline due to a string of injuries.

Fullback Jordi Alba, fellow defender Gonzalo Lujan and defensive midfielder Yannick Bright have all been ruled out of the Group A clash.

“Hopefully they will be available for the second game,” Mascherano told a news conference on Friday.

Alba, one of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates, is sidelined with a hamstring issue. There were also concerns regarding the fitness of centre-back David Martinez.

“David had some kind of pain yesterday, and we did not want to take any risks,” said Mascherano.

“The reality is that throughout the season, the team have dealt with injuries, but the players who stepped in rose to the challenge. That gives us peace of mind,” he said.

Al Ahly team news

The Egyptian side have been in the US for two weeks and have already played a warm-up match against fellow Club World Cup participants Pachuca. The Mexican club won 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Riveiro has a fully fit squad to choose from, which is spearheaded by former Aston Villa forward Mahmoud Trezeguet.

How much does the Club World Cup winner receive?

The total prize pot is $1bn, with the champions earning up to $125m.

About half of the $1bn will be divided between the 32 clubs, with the amount per club based on sporting and commercial criteria.

PSG and Inter battle it out to be crowned the Kings of Europe in Saturday’s Champions League final.

The European showdown has the potential to be one of the best in recent history with both sides showing incredible attacking intent in the run-up to the Munich final.

SunSport have enlisted the help of their betting experts to preview the game and select the best bets, tips and exclusive sign-up bonuses from our leading betting partners.

Find The Sun’s betting publishing principles here

New sign-up offers

SunSport exclusives

PSG vs Inter preview

The crowning moment of the European domestic season is here as PSG and Inter go toe-to-toe for ultimate glory.

Despite Mikel Arteta’s strange claims, these two have been the two best sides in the knockout rounds and have come through difficult ties to reach this point.

A disappointing league phase for PSG who finished 15th and meant they actually had to come through the play-off round, only just as a seeded side.

But that 10-0 aggregate win over Brest was a sign of things to come and when beating Liverpool on penalties in the round-of-16, things opened up for them.

Beating Aston Villa the next time around, PSG were dominant in winning both legs against Arsenal in the semi finals to set up this final.

First scorer and correct score predictions

• Correct score: 2-3 at 28/1 with Betfred – HERE

• First scorer: Marcus Thuram 15/2 with talkSPORT BET – HERE

Having wrapped up Ligue 1 some time ago, everything has gone into finally getting over the line in this competition.

Inter have had a huge league battle on their hands, falling short to Napoli in last Friday’s final game shootout.

They need to pick themselves up now and show why they deserve to be here, after knocking out powerhouses Bayern and Barcelona in the knockouts.

The 7-6 semi final aggregate win over Barca was up there with one of the best Champions League ties in memory, and the 4-3 win over the German champions in the round prior showed they’ve to be taken seriously.

It also showed they’re pretty open at the back but have goals in abundance. The perfect mixture for the neutral….

PSG vs Inter latest odds

Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

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PSG vs Inter prediction

Hak down

How on earth is Hakan Calhanoglu so far down the booking markets? I assumed at first he must be suspended as he wasn’t near the top of the list.

Has a tough midfield battle in there against technicians and was booked in both legs against Barcelona. But also booked in FIVE of his last seven appearances – including all of his last FOUR starts.

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Make his mark

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has six goals and six assists since moving to PSG in January and is one of the big reasons their second half of the season has improved so greatly.

A constant threat down that left side, he’s had eight shots on target in the knockout stages, averaging over one per game (1.28) and over two shots taken in the competition since joining (2.08).

Inter’s last couple of rounds show that chances will be created by the French side, no surprises to see him at the heart of that.

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Who: Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
What: English FA Cup final
Where: Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday at 4:30pm (15:30 GMT)

Follow Al Jazeera Sport‘s live text and photo commentary stream.

Manchester City and Crystal Palace go head-to-head for the FA Cup in a final that has captured the imagination the world over since its inception.

English football’s showpiece cup final has been a tale of a team from any level – even non-professional – rising to the top to take down the giants of the game.

The Eagles of South London are no minnows in this story, but their opponents are as big as they come in the global game.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a showdown that carries great weight for both teams in the world’s oldest cup competition.

Why is the FA Cup so important to both finalists?

History beckons for Crystal Palace against a Manchester City side that have one final shot at avoiding a rare trophyless season under Pep Guardiola.

Twice FA Cup runners-up, Palace have never won a major trophy in their 119-year history.

The Eagles sense this may finally be their time up against a City side far from their former glories of Guardiola’s trophy-laden reign.

What is Crystal Palace’s form?

Palace warmed up for the Wembley showpiece by cruising to a 2-0 win at Tottenham last weekend to equal their record of 49 Premier League points with two games of the season to spare.

The south London club finished in the top 10 for the first time in the Premier League era last season after just a few months under Oliver Glasner.

Another top-half finish looks unlikely, but progress has continued under the Austrian thanks to their FA Cup heroics, including a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Champions League quarterfinalists Aston Villa in the last four.

How @CPFC reached the #EmiratesFACup Final 🦅 pic.twitter.com/w81rxlyzdZ

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 16, 2025

Who is Crystal Palace’s key player?

Eberechi Eze is the main man for City to fear with five goals in his last four games.

But he is one of just four England internationals that reached the final of Euro 2024 likely to start for Palace on Saturday alongside Dean Henderson, Marc Guehi and Adam Wharton.

“It means everything,” said Eze on the prospect of delivering the club’s first taste of silverware.

“We know what it means to the fans, to the club. We’re going to give everything that we’ve got to put ourselves in the best position.

“We’re confident. We know that we’ve just got to do what we do and be the best version of ourselves, and we’ve got the chance of beating any team.”

Victory would also secure entry to one of Europe’s major club competitions for the first time in Palace’s history, with a place in the Europa League at stake.

What is Man City’s form?

City’s laboured display in drawing a blank at bottom-of-the-table Southampton last weekend gives Palace even more reason to believe they can lift the cup.

However, Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in 10 games, including a 5-2 demolition of Palace in the Premier League last month despite falling 2-0 behind.

Will this be De Bruyne’s dream send-off?

City’s fightback at the Etihad Stadium in the last encounter between the clubs was prompted by Kevin De Bruyne rolling back the years.

The Belgian has just three games left as a City player after a glorious decade in Manchester and will be aiming to add one more to his 14 major honours with the club.

“He has had an incredible time at Manchester City,” said City’s top scorer Erling Haaland.

“It is ridiculous how many trophies he has won. Hopefully he will get one more trophy.”

Manchester City’s road to the #EmiratesFACup Final 🩵 pic.twitter.com/SJuPAXbyyE

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 14, 2025

Why has City’s season been ‘horrendous’?

After an unprecedented four consecutive English top-flight titles, City find themselves battling just to secure a top-five Premier League finish and a place in next season’s Champions League.

Anything other than victory would cap what Haaland described as a “horrendous” campaign for a squad of serial winners.

City have not ended a season without a trophy since Guardiola’s first at the club in 2016/17.

“It is a good habit to reach Wembley and always important to win trophies. We have the FA Cup final to play for and in a horrific season we still managed to do this,” added the Norwegian.

What was Palace’s finest FA Cup moment?

Palace’s extraordinary and eventually heartbreaking 1990 campaign was their finest hour in the competition.

The semifinals and final(s) that year were arguably the most dramatic in the competition’s long and storied history and remain the emotional high and low point of every Palace fan who watched them.

Palace were struggling in the top flight after promotion and had been humiliated 9-0 by Liverpool early in the season.

In the Cup they were hardly pulling up trees either, beating lower league Portsmouth, Huddersfield Town, Rochdale and Cambridge United to reach the semifinals for the first time since they lost to Southampton as a third division team in 1976.

Facing runaway champions-elect and FA Cup holders Liverpool again in the semis look an insurmountable barrier and an Ian Rush goal had the Reds ahead at halftime at Villa Park.

Things then went crazy as Mark Bright and Gary O’Reilly gave Palace a shock lead. Two goals in two minutes put Liverpool back in front, only for Andy Gray to stun the odds-on favourites in the 88th minute to force extra time.

Amazingly, it was Palace who snatched victory in the 109th minute via Alan Pardew, who would later manage the club.

The cup final itself, against Manchester United, went to a replay after a stunning 3-3 draw in the first encounter.

United won the next match 1-0 with a goal from defender Lee Martin, which handed a young manager by the name of Alex Ferguson his first trophy as boss of the Red Devils.

How many FA Cups have City won?

City are seven-time winners of the cup, with their first victory coming in 1904 against Bolton Wanderers.

Their last win was a 2-1 victory against their fierce rivals Manchester United in 2023.

Head-to-head

This is the 74th meeting between the two teams in a fixture dating back to 1921.

Palace were 2-0 winners in an FA Cup meeting in the third round that year.

City stormed back in the next meeting between the clubs – once again in the FA Cup – beating Palace 11-4 in February 1926.

Overall, City have claimed the spoils on 39 occasions and the Eagles soaring to victory after 17 of the meetings.

Palace haven’t recorded a win in their last seven encounters with City, who have won four in that time.

Man City team news

Haaland is expected to start after making his comeback from six weeks out injured at Southampton last weekend.

Rodri continues his slow return to full fitness, but with an eye on the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in June, the cup final appears to have come too soon for a start.

Crystal Palace team news

Midfielder Adam Wharton has returned to full fitness following an ankle injury.

It means the Eagles have a fully fit squad to choose from.