'It could turn into a rout for Chelsea, Arsenal defence is too weak' - Standard Sport predicts the FA Cup Final

1/9
Standard Sport27 May 2017

The old adage states that form counts for nothing in a final, but can depleted Arsenal shock Premier League champions Chelsea in the FA Cup showpiece?

Antonio Conte & Co. are looking to complete the Double in the Italian's first season in charge, becoming the first manager since Carlo Ancelotti - also of Stamford Bridge - to do so.

Arsene Wenger,l meanwhile, can become the most successful manager in the history of football's oldest competition with a seventh triumph on Saturday. A perfect way to say goodbye to Arsenal? Perhaps.

The Gunners are depleted, though. Laurent Koscielny is suspended, Gabriel is injured and both Kieran Gibbs and Shkodran Mustafi fitness doubts. Their form since moving to a three-man defence has improved, but can a returning Per Mertsacker cope?

Conte has, as for much for the title-winning season, a full bill of health to call upon so the odds are very much stacked against those from the north of the capital in this London derby.

Do Arsenal have a hope? Will Chelsea even run riot? Standard Sport correspondents have had their say in the gallery above...

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in