Does anyone else think that Stoke have the upper hand? They're going into this game with nothing to lose, and their Premier League status will be more or less secure for another season by the time this game comes around. Our Champions League place certainly will not, and Mancini and the players will have an eye on the league fixture on the Tuesday after the final.
I know Stoke were fortunate to come up against a catastrophically poor Bolton side yesterday, who offered nothing in 90 minutes other than two wayward shots and some poor excuses for 'defending', along with a goalkeeper in a rapid decline from what he was, but Walters, Jones and Delap's long throw-ins will really test Kompany. Let's hope we practise with Richards taking long throws so that we know how to defend them for when we're facing the likes of Huth. They play an ugly style of football that reminds me of rugby - going for lineouts and throwing it in to the big men - but they have some players that are good on the ground (Pennant, Jones, Whelan). It's an effective formation that Pulis has slowly gathered together and it's working well for them. Their league position at the moment suggests that they've struggled, and is mainly the reason why a lot of City fans think that we will beat them when it comes to it. But Stoke are our bogey team of late, and a team we always struggle against.
Stoke showed yesterday that they can score without Delap's throw-ins. I don't think the throw-ins will be as much of a threat as they usually are on a pitch the size of Wembley's, but - unlike they were arguing on Oatcake (I think they just grabbed the wrong end of the stick) - that is the only thing that will limit their attacks, which is why we should be wary of their strikers in open play, but they're a huge team in terms of height and muscle and will offer a stern test - a test I don't think we'll overcome.
Also, it is extremely unlikely that Stoke will be at this stage again in the forseeable future (no disrespect to any Stoke fans reading this) so they will give it everything they've got. I think we'll lose the final, but batter them in the league 4 days later. However if Stoke are still hovering precariously above the relegation zone, the game may swing in our favour.