Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
The English domestic season reaches its climax with the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. For both Arsenal and Aston Villa, this final represents a chance to turn a decent season into a good one.
Arsenal, of course, have been here before. In 2014, they defeated Hull in the final to end a nine-year wait for silverware. Triumphing at Wembley again would be a tremendous achievement and ensure this campaign is looked back upon as one of encouraging progress.
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When Tim Sherwood was appointed as Aston Villa manager, his primary objective was to secure survival in the Premier League. However, if he could add the scalp of Arsenal and an FA Cup win to that achievement, it would be a tremendous boost to his managerial career. What's more, it would probably be the most significant result for the Villains since their last triumph in this competition in 1957.
Date: Saturday, May 30
Time: 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
TV Info: Fox (U.S.), BBC, BT Sport (U.S.)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), BBC iPlayer, BT Sport App (U.K.)
Form Guide (last five results of both teams)
Arsenal:
W (4-1) vs. West Brom
D (0-0) vs. Sunderland
D (1-1) vs. Manchester United
L (1-0) vs. Swansea
W (1-3) vs. Hull City
Aston Villa:
L (0-1) vs. Burnley
L (6-1) vs. Southampton
W (1-0) vs. West Ham
W (3-2) vs. Everton
L (3-2) vs. Manchester City
The form of both teams has dwindled slightly in recent weeks, but the cup final is a one-off occasion. Anything can happen. The recent run of results is informative but not conclusive; ultimately this game will be decided by 90 minutes, and a single error or moment of genius could have huge ramifications.
Team News
Arsene Wenger's biggest decision will be at the two extremes of the pitch. In goal, he must decide between David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny. Up front, he must choose between the out-of-sorts Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, who staked his claim for a place with a hat-trick against West Brom on the final day of the Premier League season.
Tim Sherwood is likely to place his faith in the players who have seen the Midlands team to survival in recent weeks. He will be boosted by the news that Shay Given, Aly Cissokho, Kieran Richardson and Jores Okore have all returned to training.
Predicted Arsenal XI: David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Theo Walcott
Predicted Aston Villa XI: Shay Given, Leandro Bacuna, Ron Vlaar, Jores Okore, Kieran Richardson; Ashley Westwood, Tom Cleverley, Fabian Delph; Charles N’Zogbia, Jack Grealish; Christian Benteke.
Players to Watch
Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey
Arsenal's key player could well be the man who won the final for them last season. Although likely to play in an unfamiliar role on the right-hand side of midfield, Aaron Ramsey remains a significant goal threat. Ramsey will look to use the timing of his runs to feed off Olivier Giroud's hold-up play.
Aston Villa: Christian Benteke
Much of Arsenal's preparation will surely you have been concentrated on how to deal with the threat of Belgian striker Christian Benteke. As Laurie Whitwelll for the Daily Mail has reported, the Belgian has been linked with a move away from Aston Villa, and he will want to make sure he provides a significant impact in what could be his final game for the club.
His power, pace and finishing ability is sure to provide a stern test for Arsenal's defensive pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.
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