Arsenal and Chelsea will head to Wembley on Saturday to vie it on for the FA Cup. It may prove to be an epic cup double for Antonio Conte, or it may prove to a consolation prize for Arsene Wenger after a disappointing league campaign.
Team News
Arsenal will likely head into Saturday’s game still hurting having missed out on a Champions League spot, the first time Wenger has done so during his time with the Gunners. Supporters at the Emirates continue to call for the Frenchman’s head, but as ever, Wenger remains defiant and look to take the FA Cup home.
Despite missing out on fourth place, the Gunners boast some impressive form with five wins out of their last five, scoring 13 and conceding just two. However, Wenger will be without six players for the final, as Santi Carzola, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Gabriel Paulista and Shkodran Mustafi miss out to due to injury and Laurent Koscielny unavailable through suspension.
Chelsea on the other hand, head into the game with a clean bill of health, Ruben Loftus-Cheek the only exception. Conte’s men also boast some incredible form ahead of the final and five wins in their last five games too, scoring 16 and conceding four.
Head-to-head
Head-to-head, Chelsea have the greater share of the spoils winning three whilst Arsenal have just two. There has been 11 goals between the sides in their last five meetings, seven this season. In their last outing, Eden Hazard shone as Chelsea saw the Gunners off 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, revenge for their 3-0 defeat at the Emirates earlier this season. The Blues will also be keen to avenge their Wembley misery from 2015 in which Wenger’s men beat them 1-0 to win the Community Shield.
Key Players
One of the main battles we’ll see between red and blue is that Rob Holding and Diego Costa and may just be the key duel. Koscienly’s red card on the final day of the Premier League season means that the Frenchman is banned for three games, starting with Saturday’s final. His absence means Holding is likely to step in and despite his tender age of 21, his form offers the Gunners some hope. He is capable of playing at both full-back or centre-back and found himself in the starting eleven at the beginning of the season. The former Bolton man helped his side keep a clean sheet away to champions Leicester in a notable performance.
However, going up against Diego Costa will be some task for Holding and he will certainly have his hands full. Costa is undoubtedly Chelsea’s main threat in front of goal and even more so when receiving service from the likes of Eden Hazard and Pedro. The Spaniard has scored 21 goals for the Blues this summer and you wouldn’t bet against him adding to that tally on Saturday.
Arsenal v Chelsea Betting Tips
If you are looking to place bet then there some great odds kicking about. Paddy Power are currently offer 4/1 for Chelsea to win by two goals and with their attacking flair going up against Arsenal’s defensive woes, a two goal margin is highly plausible.
Of course, Wenger already has six FA Cups to his name with the Gunners and a seventh would be the perfect way for the Frenchman to bow out should he leave the club. Arsenal have already shown they are capable of beating Chelsea this season, Bet 365 offer 5/1 for the Gunners to win by one goal, great odds if you believe the gunners can snatch a win.
If Arsenal do manage to pull off a shock win, or even get the ball in the net, you can bet that Alexis Sanchez will be involved. The Chilean has a haul of 29 goals this term and scored against the blues earlier this season.
William Hill are offering 13/2 for Sanchez to score anytime and Chelsea to win. Costa is to Chelsea as Sanchez is to Arsenal and much like the Chilean, you’d expect him to be amongst the goals at Wembley. Costa to score anytime and Arsenal to win is 11/2.
Our top bet comes from Sky Bet. Whilst they offer odds of 3/4 for a Chelsea to win and 100/30 for Arsenal, it’s seemingly obvious that Conte’s men are clear favourites. However, we’re a huge fan of their Request a Bet section and this bet in particular: 14/1 for Costa to score, BTTS and Gary Cahill to be carded. Costa is deadly in front of goal and with Sanchez possibly playing his last game for Arsenal, a goal at Wembley would be the ultimate way to sign off and with John Terry having said his goodbyes, Cahill is likely to start and be at the heart of Chelsea’s defensive battles.
