The FA Cup final should be a scintillating encounter between both Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte as they will be vying for their personal targets. For Arsene’s morbid season the FA Cup would be a scant salvation and for the Conte, it’s about achieving a double in his first campaign in Premier League, a feat unmatched by many.
Since changing to a 3-4-2-1 setup, Arsenal have seen considerable improvement in their results with their team being on a five-game winning spree. And it highly seems unlikely Wenger will change it in the final.
As we inch closer to Wembley let’s have a look at the predicted Arsenal line-up. Some key changes might be on the cards. Let’s see….
Goalkeeper
No doubt here that Petr Cech is going to be the man between the sticks. Having a good run of form of late, it seems the ex-Chelsea veteran’s place is cemented for good.
Defenders
Having Laurent Koscielny’s red card appeal rejected and both Ox and Gabriel on the injury list, it seems Wenger is limited with his options at the back.
Rob Holding looks solid to hold his position at the back after a splendid performance against Sunderland and Everton. We can only expect the best from him, again, in the final.
Not risking Per Mertesacker with his first start it seems Nacho Monreal could play in place of Gabriel. The Spanish veteran has been one of the consistent performers for the Gunners this season.
Shkodran Mustafi has been in good form of late and is most likely to join the pair at the back.
Midfielders
The midfield could remain unchanged from the one that Wenger played during the weekend against Everton, winning 3-1 convincingly.
The disguised full backs, Hector Bellerin and Kieran Gibbs are the obvious choice to be operating at right and left wing-back respectively. Both of them have done a great job so far in Wenger’s new formation and the same should be expected from them in the showpiece final.
In the central midfield, it is going to be the successful duo of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey. The two have been extremely successful in the central midfield with their incisive passing and timed long passes. It seems only logical for them to be in the starting XI.
Forward
In attack also it seems Wenger is going to play with his familiar trio. Seems like the lone striker upfront could be Danny Welbeck with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez lining up behind the Englishman.
The trio has had a good run of games recently and Wenger most definitely won’t be changing the combination to upset the chemistry up top.