But the 42-year-old Reds' legend warned that Chelsea will be no pushovers despite their mounting injury problems.
"They have enough back-up quality to be a serious threat," he said.
"United are more fluent but when you get two big hitters playing against each other you can't predict a result because it's going to be that tight.
"It we win it will be different from the other doubles because over the past few years some people had written us off, first with Arsenal going undefeated to win the league followed by Chelsea taking the title twice.
"But we have bounced back in a way that nobody outside of Old Trafford really expected us to do."
Irwin, playing in the E.on FA Cup Legends golf day at Marriott Worsley Park with Manchester Evening News competition winners Steve Watson and Roger Lingard, believed that clinching the Premiership this time was as good as any success Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved.
"But winning the Cup will top any Double he's done before," said the former Republic of Ireland defender who made 368 appearances for the Reds between 1990-2002.
Former City player Tony Towers captained the winning team at at the golf day with 112 points. Tweet
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Whatever the result on Saturday I really hope we "show up". Despite winning the title with two games to spare I have not been impressed with our form at all since the Roma game at home. It's especially worrying when you consider since Mourinho has taken over at Chelsea we only have one win against them. I don't think we've even scored a goal at Stamford Bridge in that time!
On Sunday I wanted us to win our last league game going into the final regardless of what it meant for West Ham, Sheffield Utd or Wigan. Watching West Ham celebrating on our pitch made me want to throw up frankly. In both games against them we dominated but failed to unlock their defence.
Kieran Richardson for me just has to go in the summer - he annoys me so much. There is just no consistency in his "performances" at all, especially when you consider he has been a squad player for two years now. There's many a young player that would have given his eye teeth to have had the opportunities he's had and would have grabbed it with both hands.