Villa dare Gunners in FA Cup showdown

Villa dare Gunners in FA Cup showdown

By Laolu Olugbenga

Arsenal and Aston Villa will both have their eyes on the prize when they lock horns in the final of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium today. The Gunners are returning to Wembley for the fifth time in 13 months as they aim to retain the crown they won last season.

Arsene Wenger led them to a 3-2 extra time victory in a dramatic final against Hull where they had to fight back from 2 goals down. The Gunners have been in fine form, and secured automatic Champions League football for the first time since 2012 in a 4 - 1 drubbing of West Brom.

Arsenal beat Villa twice during the Premier League season, scoring eight goals and conceding none, but Paul Lambert was the manager at the time. Villa have looked rejuvenated this time and barring the 6 - 1 loss to Southampton, have been in fine form themselves. Tim Sherwood has praised his side for their fantastic displays and while saying they are the underdogs, he has charged them to go for the diadem.

The last time the Villains lifted the title was way back in 1957, 58 years ago. They reached the final in 2000 but were beaten 1 - 0 by Chelsea. Arsenal, on the other hand, are aiming to become the most successful team in football’s oldest competition. They have won the 11 titles, the same as Manchester United and a win today will see them becoming the FA Cup’s most successful team. Out of the 11, Wenger has won five, and he has been in buoyant mood ahead of the showdown. He, however, said he hasn’t decided who he will pick for the game. He will be without Danny Welbeck who has a knee injury. Mathieu Debuchy and Mikel Arteta have returned and are firmly in contention.

For Villa, Kieran Richardson is back in training alongside veteran goalkeeper Shay Given. Tim Sherwood has a big decision to make regarding who starts in goal between Shay and Brad Guzan.

Villa have beaten three Premier League sides on their way to the final including Liverpool. They will also qualify for the Europa League should they come out on top.

KEY STATS:

This is Arsenal’s 19th FA Cup final, which is a record and they have won 11 titles in total. Impressive.

Arsenal have won 22 of their last 34 matches against Villa in all competitions, losing just three. Consistent.

FA Cup finals have been played at the new Wembley Stadium eight times, and the winning teams have run away with the trophy by a one-goal margin. Close.

The last FA Cup meeting between these sides was in 2012. Villa had a two goal lead at half time only to lose 3-2 after the Gunners netted three times in seven minutes. Loose.



Key stats are mostly credited to the Opta Family, the largest statistical base in the world.