David Luiz warns Chelsea not to take 'fantastic' Arsenal lightly as Blues prepare for FA Cup Final

Up for the battle: Luiz in action against Arsenal in February
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge25 May 2017

David Luiz has warned his Chelsea team-mates they must be wary to avoid an FA Cup Final upset at the hands of Arsenal.

The Premier League champions are favourites to win Saturday’s final against an Arsenal side that could be without as many as four senior defenders, with both Kieran Gibbs and Shkodran Mustafi battling not to join Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel on the sidelines.

Victory for Chelsea would secure a second Double for Chelsea, placing them alongside Manchester United and Arsenal as the only teams to have won the top flight and FA Cup in the same season on more than one occasion.

However Luiz is taking nothing for granted as Chelsea prepare to take on a side they finished 18 points ahead of in the league this season.

"We have to concentrate to train hard every day to be in the best shape to play this final," he said.

"I think when you play for a big club you need to have this kind of ambition to play to win every competition so we know we'll play against a fantastic team, fantastic players in good shape.

"They have fantastic players and an amazing coach so we need to be in our high level to win this final."

During his first spell at Chelsea Luiz picked up a winners medal from the 2012 FA Cup but was unable to play his part in the Final victory over Liverpool as both he and Gary Cahill were sidelined with injuries.

​Luiz would subsequently recover to play a crucial role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph two weeks later but in the build-up to this weekend’s game against Arsenal has spoken about his regret at missing the chance to play his part in the final of the world’s oldest cup competition.

"It is an historic competition so it's always amazing to have this kind of opportunity to play in this kind of final."

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