Semi-final hero Yaya Toure was at the heart of the Blues revival against United, cutting an “emotional” figure at half time as the players fired each other up for their dominant second half display.
But he says that the main speakers this time will be skipper Carlos Tevez, his deputy Vincent Kompany and veteran Patrick Vieira – and manager Roberto Mancini will have the last say.
“The important players in the dressing room like Patrick, Carlos, Vinnie - the captain, the most experienced player, important player – they all speak but the responsibility comes to the boss, the manager.
“He spoke before and after United and we have to be together, to work together because football is 11 players.
“Those 11 players have to be ready for the fight because it will be a very, very tough game.”
Stoke pose different problems to United, presenting a physical challenge which is almost unique in Europe.
Yaya admits he found it hard to adapt to that aspect of the Premier League after playing his football in Belgium, Ukraine, Greece, France and Spain.
But he is relishing the task of getting stuck into Tony Pulis’s dogs of war, even though he has had an incredibly long season, playing 47 games already this season.
“When I was in Spain I said I wanted to play in England because I feel the Premier League is the best. It is powerful, and you have to run and fight to win the games.
“Every game is close, and I love it.
“I have never played so many games, but when I sit on that beach in the summer I want to look back and enjoy it.”
Walking out at Wembley will be an emotional moment for the powerhouse midfielder – he says he will be proud at having helped City achieve so much in his first season, but it will also be tinged with sadness.
Brother Kolo will be watching from the stands as he awaits to hear his fate after failing a drugs test in March.
That is a source of heartache for Yaya, who says: “Before I signed for City I told my brother Kolo I wanted to come to England to play with him, so we could win something together.
“That won’t happen tomorrow, and that means it will be a hard moment for him, and for me as well.
“My brother is very important to me. We talk a lot together, and our family is very proud of both of us.
“We have talked about the best way to win this cup, and he is supporting me and the team to win it. He said if we win the cup we will be winning it for him as well.
“He is a typical sportsman and wants to be on the field with his teammates, but life is like that – we can all make mistakes.
“He is a very strong guy and can walk away from this.”
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