FA Cup Final: Arsenal tremble before the 'bogeyman' Chelsea

With their defense riddled with injuries, Arsenal are facing immense difficulties ahead of the fiery London derby against rivals Chelsea at Wembley.

The French "professor" surprised everyone by revealing that Davis Ospina would be the starting goalkeeper in the FA Cup final, instead of veteran Petr Cech.

For Arsenal, the FA Cup is a lifeline after a disappointing season. If they beat their city rivals, Wenger and his players will lift the trophy at Wembley for the third time in four years.

Arsenal have shown a knack for winning the FA Cup in recent years.

Chelsea are also brimming with confidence, aiming for a double after their impressive run to the Premier League title. Conte's team are considered superior in terms of form and morale, but Arsenal are also determined to overcome their difficulties and avoid ending the season empty-handed.

Force situation

Arsenal face a personnel crisis in their defense ahead of the final. Gabriel Paulista is certain to miss the match due to a knee injury, while captain Koscielny is forced to sit out due to suspension.

Mustafi's availability is also uncertain as he is not fully recovered. It is likely that manager Wenger will have to take a risk and place his trust in Mertesacker, who has only played one game this season.

In contrast to The Gunners, Chelsea currently boasts the strongest squad. Manager Conte is only wondering who to choose in the starting lineup: Willian or Pedro, Matic or Fabregas.

Head-to-head record

The clash at Wembley marks the 190th encounter between the two London giants. Arsenal have a slight advantage with 73 wins, while Chelsea have celebrated victory 62 times.

Conte will have the opportunity to put his wits to a test against manager Wenger.

However, in the last five years, Arsenal have often been outmatched by Chelsea. Specifically, they have won only 2 of their last 5 matches, including the 2015 FA Community Shield.

The last time the two teams met in the FA Cup was in the 2009 semi-final. Drogba scored the winning goal to help The Blues beat Arsenal 2-1.

Tactics

Towards the end of the season, Arsenal switched to a three-defender formation. Despite missing several key players in defense, Wenger still wanted to employ a 3-4-2-1 formation to counter Chelsea. In that scenario, the roles of wing-backs Bellerin and Oxlade-Chamberlain would be extremely important.

On the other side of the pitch, the 3-4-3 formation has become Coach Conte's trademark. The Blues' machine is still running quite smoothly, solid in defense and sharp in attack.

According to VNN