THE STRIKER: previews Saturday’s FA Cup Final between ARSENAL v CHELSEA with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
The Striker is a professional football punter who focused solely on football in the UK. He has over ten years of experience using exchanges and he’s been a full-time professional punter for more than five years. UK football is his edge and he sticks to it!
Thankfully The Striker has agreed to share his best bets with BETDAQ Tips! He will use a staking system between one and five points to give readers a clue as to how confident he is with each individual bet. He uses his own analysis to price up matches and loves advanced stats like xG, goal stats and current form.
ARSENAL V CHELSEA
5.30pm What a cracking FA Cup Final we have this season. It’s a London Derby, and while it’s a great shame there will be no fans, we should be in for a treat watching at home. Arsenal have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks and although their win against Manchester City was totally against the run of play, they also managed to beat Liverpool! Although that was against the run of play too, with xG heavily favouring Liverpool – especially in the second half.
The fairest thing to say about Arsenal is they are erratic at the moment. They can produce brilliant moments, but still lose to the likes of Aston Villa and Brighton. Their record in the FA Cup speaks for itself and although Chelsea are deservedly favourite it won’t be easy for Frank Lampards men. Chelsea have also had their setbacks in recent weeks. They looked home and hosed for a Top Four finish after beating Manchester City, only to lose to West Ham and Sheffield United.
Chelsea have shown excellent signs going forward, but they are having real issues defending corners and set pieces. Perhaps this won’t be an important element at Wembley with Arsenal not exactly strong in this area, but it’s always there and surely it’s an area Arteta will focus on. In the match odds market, I would favour Chelsea at the odds but there isn’t enough value for me to bet.
The bet I really like is over 2.5 goals at 1.94. Chelsea have only managed three clean sheets since returning from lockdown, against Watford, Norwich and Wolves. Watford and Norwich have been very poor this season, while Wolves were poor on the final day. Arsenal are always dodgy at the back, but have found form going forward. I see this game being very similar to Arsenal’s games against Spurs and Liverpool with chances at both ends. Both Teams To Score is also a tempting bet at 1.77 or thereabouts, but it’s over 2.5 goals for me at the odds.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.94 with BETDAQ Exchange.
You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQasrche
MATCH STATS
- Arsenal are appearing in their 21st FA Cup final, more than any other side. Indeed, the Gunners have won the competition more often than any other side (13).
- Chelsea are playing in their 14th FA Cup final, with this their seventh appearance in the showpiece since Wembley Stadium re-opened in 2007. The Blues have won seven of their last nine FA Cup finals, with both defeats in that time coming against Arsenal.
- This season’s FA Cup final will be the latest date a final has been staged in the competition’s history.
- This is the third time Arsenal and Chelsea have faced each other in the FA Cup final, with the Gunners winning the previous two showcases (in 2002 and 2017) – no fixture has been played more in the final (excluding replays).
- Arsenal have triumphed in eight of their last nine FA Cup final matches, including each of the last six in a row. Only Tottenham (7 between 1901 and 1982) have won more consecutive FA Cup final appearances.
- Chelsea have won just one of their last 13 FA Cup games against Arsenal (D4 L8), beating them 2-1 in the 2009 semi-final, courtesy of goals from Florent Malouda and a late Didier Drogba winner.
- This will be the third time in the last four seasons that Arsenal will be ending their campaign against Chelsea, winning the 2017 FA Cup final and losing last season’s Europa League final against the Blues in Baku.
- In all competitions, Chelsea have lost just two of their last 10 meetings with Arsenal (W3 D5), with the Blues unbeaten against the Gunners in the Premier League this term (W1 D1).
- Mikel Arteta is to become only the second man to manage Arsenal in an FA Cup final having also played for the Gunners in one, after George Graham. He could become the first person to win the FA Cup with as Arsenal as both a captain and a manager.
- This will be the first FA Cup final managed by two men who both also played for their teams in an FA Cup final since 2012 (Roberto di Matteo vs Kenny Dalglish). Mikel Arteta won with Arsenal in 2014, while Frank Lampard played in five finals for the Blues, winning four. Indeed, Lampard’s only FA Cup final defeat as a player was against Arsenal in 2002.
- Frank Lampard will be the first English manager to take charge of Chelsea in a major cup final since Glenn Hoddle in the 1994 FA Cup, a 0-4 defeat against Manchester United. The last English manager to win a major trophy with Chelsea was Dave Sexton (1971 Cup Winner’s Cup).
- In FA Cup final history, there have been two players play for both clubs in a specific final fixture – Francis Birley played for Oxford University against Wanderers in 1873, and vice versa in 1877, while Jack Reynolds played for both Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the 1890s. Both Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Arsenal’s David Luiz could achieve this, having played for their opponents in the 2017 final.
- Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud has been involved in 24 goals in 30 FA Cup appearances (16 goals, 8 assists). The Frenchman has also had a hand in three goals in four final appearances in the competition (1 goal, 2 assists), with both his assists being for the winning goal (2014 and 2017).
- Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud will be aiming to become just the second player to score for and against a specific side (Arsenal) in separate FA Cup finals after Frank Stapleton, who netted against Man Utd in the 1979 final (for Arsenal) and then for the Red Devils in the 1983 final (vs Brighton).
- Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored three goals in just two FA Cup appearances, with the Gabonese striker netting both of the Gunners’ goals in their semi-final victory against Man City.
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