Gut Feeling: They say you should never second guess a gut feeling and so I won't. I have a feeling that this game might go to extra-time and then if it drags on to penalties it just becomes a lottery. The youngsters will keep it close through two hours of football and do us proud. What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to go at Essien and expose him as a defensive midfielder playing centre back. If things look bleak with twenty minutes to go then I'd send on Adebayor to match up against him. Arsenal need to control the tempo of the game and obviously the man to do this will be Fabregas with Denilson adding a touch of Brazilian flair.
Things To Watch Out For: I hope the match is refereed strictly but consistently anything else in such a high profile game would be a shame.
I'd be interested to see who would take a penalty if Arsenal were awarded one and I hope to God they've been practicing them in case it does go to a shoot-out. Remember, keep it on target and be confident. Almunia will save a few so I think if we scored three we could be there!
It will be interesting to see how long Wenger will leave it to make the substitutions if the score is not favourable. I sometimes think anything less than twenty minutes isn't enough for a player to play themselves into the game.
Hopes For The Match: I hope Walcott has a good game. I've been a supporter of his ever since Sven Goran Erikson embarrassed him by taking him to the World Cup but his performances of late have been below par. I've heard that he is nursing a shoulder injury and that's why he won't take a shoulder charge but he needs to be encouraged to knock it past the opponent and use his pace to get in behind the defence. He is an unquestionable talent, lacking in confidence and the Millenium Stadium would be the perfect stage for the youngster to come of age.
Team Selection: I have some concerns over picking a young team for the Final but I have shown the team I believe Wenger will play.
| My team selection for this game: Baptista, Aliadiere Diaby, Denilson, Fabregas, Walcott Traore, Djourou, Toure, Hoyte Almunia Subs: Poom, Clichy, Senderos, Flamini, Adebayor |
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Unavailable: van Persie(5th metatarsal); Eboue (ankle).
Long-term issues: Win or lose, the history books will not show that Arsenal fielded a young and inexperienced team.
Prediction: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1 (Arsenal win on penalties)
