The weekend preview: 21-22 May

Football: FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace v Manchester United

Saturday, 4.15 pm, BBC One; 4.45 pm, BT Sport 2

It’s the eve of the FA Cup final and the Manchester United manager knows that his job could be decided by this one match. Despite arriving at Old Trafford amid much fanfare, this manager is struggling to live up to the hype. Nevertheless, if his side can beat Crystal Palace at Wembley then he will have a first major trophy at United and the course of his tenure might just change. But this manager isn’t Louis van Gaal in 2016 – it’s Alex Ferguson in 1990.

Victory would give van Gaal much-needed breathing space. Image: Wikipedia/Paul Blank

The similarities between van Gaal’s and Ferguson’s United before their respective cup finals against Crystal Palace are eerie. We all know what happened next under Ferguson; a knighthood, ‘Fergie time’, and trophies galore. Even if the Reds lift the trophy, the chances of that happening again are about the same as Leicester City winning the Premier Lea…oh. At the very least, it would provide a welcome boost to a club stagnating under the Dutchman and maybe afford van Gaal one more year at the helm. Standing in United’s way are a Crystal Palace side full of exciting talents and only just returning to form after a horrendous start to 2016. The pace and trickery of Yannick Bolasie, Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon won’t let their opponents rest, especially with the Eagles so close to their first ever major honour. Both teams are desperate for victory, but for different reasons. It should be a fascinating watch.

Cricket: England v Sri Lanka

Saturday and Sunday, 10.30 am, Sky Sports 2 HD

Nine balls. That’s all it took for England to change the course of this test match on Friday afternoon. After Sri Lanka bowled their hosts out for an uninspiring 298 (of which Jonny Bairstow scored 140), the tourists would have fancied their chances of batting themselves into a first innings lead. But in the space of an over and a half, the James Anderson-Stuart Broad partnership that has served England so well struck three times, reducing their opponents to 12-3 with over a third of the day’s play remaining.

The beauty of test cricket is that the momentum could have shifted once again by 7pm this evening. If Sri Lanka can avoid losing more than three wickets before close of play then the match will be set up beautifully going into the weekend. Even if they do suffer a collapse, it’s highly unlikely that the match will be over in under three and a half days – ensuring maximum time spent in front of the TV. Throw in an England top order that doesn’t invite confidence and the prospect of weather interrupting play – something that has already happened twice in this match – and the outcome becomes even more unpredictable. Test cricket at its finest.

Even Joe Root was dismissed cheaply in England’s first innings. Image: Wikipedia/Naparazzi