Roberto Martínez: "You'd back City to beat us 9 times out of 10"

Speaking with a distinctive Catalan twang, seasoned with no few Briticisms – unsurprisingly, considering he has now spent almost half his life in the UK – Roberto Martínez greets us from inside his daily refuge, Wigan's DW Stadium. Despite having virtually waved goodbye to his hopes of Premier League survival this season after Monday's setback against Swansea, he is as good-humoured as ever. Today he faces the biggest match of his fledgling career: the FA Cup final at Wembley.

- What's it like for a minnow like Wigan to be in the FA Cup final?

-The whole town has been buzzing. Historically, the locals have always been split between football and rugby fans, but now they have united. We can't wait for the match – it's going to be amazing.

- What have people been saying to you on the street?

- We'd been waiting for something like this for years. People have always been crying out for a good run in the FA Cup. It's a special tournament with a format that makes it possible for small teams to make history. It's the oldest cup competition in the world and we're going to savour every second.

- City is a very tough opponent.

- It's admirable that it has been able to challenge at the top of the Premier League in such a short space of time, though we mustn't forget how much they've invested. It's going to be an extremely tough match. We've never beaten them, but here's hoping the magic of the cup inspires us. We have nothing to lose. All the pressure is on City and there is a huge gulf between the sides. You'd back them to beat us 9 times out of 10, but in a one-off match at Wembley and with the whole town roaring us on, maybe it could be our day, Marca reports.