Goalkeeper David de Gea is confident that Manchester United have what it takes to beat rivals Manchester City after reaching this season's FA Cup final.
United booked their place in their first FA Cup final since 2018 after a tense penalty shootout victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley on Sunday afternoon. Following a goalless 120 minutes, United prevailed 7-6 on spot-kicks.
After 12 successful penalties shared between the two sides, Solly March blazed over the bar for Brighton, handing Victor Lindelof the chance to set up an all-Manchester FA Cup final on June 3. The Swede dispatched his spot-kick, meaning United reached their second cup final of the campaign with a 100 per cent record from the spot.
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City will head into the contest as favourites to lift the trophy, by which time their hopes of a famous Treble might still be alive, but De Gea believes United's 2-1 victory over the cross-city rivals at Old Trafford back in January could serve them well.
"There is still a long wait until the final but I am sure it is going to be a big game against one of the best teams in Europe, in the world," De Gea told BBC Sport. "We showed already, when we played them at Old Trafford, that we can beat them.
"There is still a long way to go until the final, but we have to play to finish in the top four first and then go to the final."
Despite being knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday evening, losing the second leg of their quarter-final showdown with Sevilla 3-0 in Spain, United are still in with a chance of ending this season with two trophies and a top-four finish. Although the FA Cup final is the Reds' standout fixture between now and the end of the campaign, De Gea is fully focused on securing qualification for next season's Champions League before switching attentions back to Wembley.
Asked if United are on the right path, the goalkeeper added: "Of course. We have already won one trophy, we have reached another final and we are fighting for the top four.
"Of course, it is not enough, but it is a great step from last season. We keep improving and improving and, like I said, we have some big games coming so we have to be ready."
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