Having failed to make the Champions League for the first time in 20 years Arsenal need to win the FA Cup to add a silver lining to what has been a gloomy season around the Emirates.
Antonio Conte insisted after his Chelsea side lifted the Premier League trophy that it was Arsenal who would start as favourites at Wembley on Saturday but few neutral observers – or bookmakers – would agree with his assessment.
With Arsenal’s defensive numbers on the slide and Chelsea having effectively been resting since winning the May 12 it would seem the champions will start the final on top. However in what could his final game in charge Wenger will surely have a plan to further cement his place in English footballing history.
Match facts
This will be the second FA Cup final contested between Arsenal and Chelsea. The Gunners triumphed in the 2002 FA Cup Final in Cardiff 2-0, with goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg.
A win for Arsenal would see them claim their 13th trophy, moving them one ahead of Manchester United on 12.
Arsene Wenger could win his third FA Cup in four seasons by beating Chelsea. Should his team lift the trophy, he would be set a record for most FA Cup wins as a manager (7, currently on 6 with George Ramsay).
The Gunners have been dealt a massive blow in defence as Laurent Koscielny will serve a three-match ban for being sent off against Everton after a dangerous foul on Enner Valencia.
Gabriel has been ruled out for up to eight weeks after injuring his knee against the Toffees on the weekend.
If Chelsea were to win, it would move them to eight FA Cup trophies alongside Tottenham (third overall).
Regardless of the result, it will mean that seven of the last 11 FA Cups will have been won by either Arsenal or Chelsea.
Antonio Conte could become the fifth Italian manager to win the FA Cup, with three of the previous four achieving this at Chelsea (Vialli 2000, Ancelotti 2010, Mancini 2011 and Di Matteo 2012).
Conte’s only previous domestic cup final as a manager (excluding Super Cups) came at Juventus, losing 2-0 to Napoli in 2011/12.
Chelsea haven’t lost any of their last four FA Cup Finals, all of which have been contested at Wembley (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012). The last team to beat them in an FA Cup Final were in fact Arsenal in 2001/02.
