The 2017 FA Cup Final is upon us and Arsenal and Chelsea will be facing each other to win a football tournament that is steeped in history. Arsenal themselves have the chance to make history if they beat Chelsea. If they do this, they will hold the record for winning the FA Cup more times than any other club. However, Chelsea are a very tough opponent and they are the Premier League champions. Hence, Chelsea go into the final as favourites. Now is as good a time as any to look at the chances that both Arsenal and Chelsea have in winning the FA Cup.
All the FA Cup final goals scored at the new Wembley. It's strangely hypnotic... pic.twitter.com/a8NEU6Au2M
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 24, 2017
Arsenal
In one of my previous articles, I discussed how Arsenal have had a very tumultuous season and I labelled areas of the club that could change for the better. However, for now, Arsenal are purely focusing on the FA Cup and they go into the final in good form. Indeed, they won the last five games of their Premier League campaign and should have more confidence going into this game than they have had in previous times.
However, they go into the final without Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny, so they may have to move away from their current formation which has served them so well in recent games.
They may be defensively exposed, which is not the situation you want to be in when you face a Chelsea team that includes an abundance of attacking talent.
Still, Arsenal also have attacking prowess. Certainly, Alexis Sanchez is the key component to Arsenal’s chances of winning the FA Cup. Yet, other players such as Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey must deliver and push Arsenal to another FA Cup win.
Regardless, it will be difficult for Arsene Wenger to bring another trophy back to the Emirates.
Chelsea
As I have said, Chelsea go into the FA Cup Final as favourites, and for good reason too. Since their loss to Arsenal back in September 2016, they went on to become unstoppable in the Premier League. Antonio Conte reverted to a formation which served him so well in his previous managerial exploits, and he managed to get the best out of players such as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard.
Those two players will be vital to Chelsea in this game, but David Luiz and N’Golo Kanté must continue the consistency that they have shown throughout Chelsea’s season. The club are on a massive high after clinching the Premier League title, and Chelsea will be looking to send John Terry off in style.
On paper, Chelsea should defeat Arsenal, but the FA Cup has always been unpredictable, so we cannot say for certain that they will comfortably beat Arsenal. All we can hope for is an entertaining football match.