It's Up for Grabs! Arsenal and Birmingham's Carling Cup Final Match-Winners
On Sunday afternoon the first silverware of the English football season is on offer, with Wembley stadium staging this year's Carling Cup Final.
Comparable to Liverpool's Lucas Leiva due to the fact that both are much-maligned but increasingly important, the "Ugly Sister" domestic cup is usually a good barometer as to the early-season form of in particular Premier League clubs but also those from lower leagues.
However, the 90,000 fans packed into the New Wembley will all be used to Premier League football, as Arsenal and Birmingham City go head to head in an interestingly poised final.
The Gunners will have to do without Cesc Fabregas (pictured, right), their inspirational captain and creative heartbeat, due to an unfortunately timed hamstring injury, whilst Theo Walcott (pictured, left) and long-term absentees Thomas Vermaelen and Lukasz Fabianski remain sidelined.
For the Blues, former Gunner Alexander Hleb faces a late fitness test on his knee, but Martin Jiranek and Liam Ridgewell have recovered in time. Unfortunately though, both David Bentley and Curtis Davies are cup-tied, whilst influential pair Scott Dann and James McFadden, as well as Enric Valles, are injured.
Arsenal start favourites, but their recent absentees and Birmingham's fighting spirit make this year's Carling Cup Final up for grabs. But who will be the match-winners?
The Super Shot-Stopper
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Goalkeepers may prove to be vital in this match, as penalties could well decide the final.
Arsenal have been crying out for a solid goalkeeper ever since the decline of Jens Lehamann nearly four years ago, but in Wojciech Szczesny, Gooners finally have a glovesman they can be proud of.
Blessed with astonishing reflexes and a 6'5" frame, Szczesny has dominated the Arsenal penalty area and organised his defenders well ever since replacing his injured compatriot Lukasz Fabianski at the turn of the year. He exudes confidence, and at the tender age of 20, could yet be arsenal's No. 1 for two decades to come.
Rating: 8.5/10
Form: 8/10
Ben Foster (pictured) has also been in fantastic form this season, having transferred from Manchester United in the summer and has somehow managed to make Brum fans forget all about England No. 1 Joe Hart, who was on loan at St Andrews last season.
His blunder against West Ham in the semi-final first leg aside, Foster has been flawless this season, and must be putting Hart under considerable pressure for the national team jersey.
Rating: 8/10
Form: 8/10
The Big Centre-Back
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"But Arsenal don't have a big centre back?" I hear you cry.
Well, they didn't until Johan Djourou stepped up this season. In the continued absence of Belgian rock Thomas Vermaelen, the Swiss international has filled the void impeccably, adding a calmness to Arsenal's defending that has been lacking in the past few seasons.
Although not tall enough (no one is) to beat Nikola Zigic in most aerial duels, he will be given the crucial task of marking the Serbian at set pieces, which could win or lose the final for the Gunners.
Rating: 7/10
Form: 8/10
Arsenal's likely striker Robin van Persie doesn't pose as much of an aerial threat as Zigic, but Roger Johnson (pictured) will have to be on his toes to stop the red-hot Dutchman finding the back of the net.
Dominant in the air and tenacious in the tackle, Johnson is one of England's most consistently solid defenders, despite having put through his own net once against the Gunners already this season. His height may also be something for Djourou and Laurent Koscielny to worry about, as Johnson can score the odd goal or two.
Rating: 7.5
Form: 7/10
The Midfield Anchor
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Alex Song (pictured, left) is one of the Premier League's most consistent performers, playing the holding midfielder role for the Gunners and having developed into arguably Gunners' most indispensable player.
Strong in the tackle and with an eye for a killer pass, Song may well provide the steel needed for the silk of Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri to wreak havoc offensively, and he's no stranger to the opposition goal, having scored vital goals against Chelsea and Manchester City so far this season. He has played a lot lately though and so may run out of fuel late on in the game.
Rating: 8/10
Form: 7/10
Lee Bowyer (pictured, right) will play the same role for Birmingham on Sunday but is nowhere near the class of his Cameroonian counterpart. He does pop up with the odd goal, such as the winner against Chelsea earlier this season, but his tough tackling can border on dangerous.
That said, it's his job to get in opponents' faces, so he does fulfil his role with the utmost commitment and many years' experience.
Rating: 6/10
Form: 6.5/10
The Creative Duo
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In Samir Nasri (pictured, right) and Jack Wilshere (pictured, left), Arsenal have two of the best players of the season to date. With Cesc Fabregas out, Nasri will likely move to a more central position, and his goal threat, pace and dribbling will cause all kinds of headaches for the team in blue.
Wilshere will also take some of the creative burden of Fabregas' absence, and his astonishing passing, bursts forward and tenacity in midfield may well run rings around the Birmingham players. And remember, these two did just that in the second half against a certain Catalan duo last week...
Rating: 9/10 (SN), 8.5/10 (JW)
Form: 8.5/10 (SN), 9.5/10 (JW)
Their rather less illustrious opponents will be Craig Gardner and Barry Ferguson. They may well need their high work rates to stifle the creativity of Nasri and Wilshere, and Ferguson's metronomic passing will help the Brum defence catch a breath after the likely waves of Arsenal attacks.
That said, Birmingham are very dangerous on the counter attack, and Gardner plays a vital role in this with his late goalscoring runs into the box.
Rating: 6/10 (CG), 6.5/10 (BF)
Form: 6/10 (CG), 7/10 (BF)
The Tricky Winger
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Enough has been said about Andrei Arshavin so far this season. He's been out of form, out of favour and out of luck, and Theo Walcott's rapid (pardon the pun) improvement has forced the Russian dynamo to the bench.
However, with Walcott injured, the Birmingham defence should remember that Arshavin has retained the ability to play poorly for an entire match,\ and then win it with one moment of magic. They need only to look back at the Barcelona game for evidence of his gradual return to form, when Arshavin's introduction was followed promptly by a wonderfully taken curling finish. From Russia with love.
Rating: 8/10
Form: 7/10
On Birmingham's team sheet will most likely be Sebastian Larsson (pictured), an Arsenal youth product who moved North four years ago after a season-long loan.
Like Arshavin, he's not had the best season, with a transfer dispute leaving him without a club in the summer, but he'll be snapped up rather quickly, due to his bag of tricks and the ability to curl in delicious crosses from open play and set pieces. The Swede will look to lay on chance after chance for giant Serb Nikola Zigic, so Arsenal's full-backs will have to shut down this dangerous creator and free-kick specialist.
Rating: 7.5/10
Form: 6.5/10
The Big Centre Forward
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Robin van Persie is the most in-form forward in Europe. Having scored 12 goals in 10 appearances since his return from a lengthy ankle injury. The Dutchman has been in imperious form, netting braces against West Ham and Wolves, as well as a hat-trick against Wigan.
Not even the mighty Barcelona could stop him, as van Persie (pictured) rocketed a volley from a near-impossible angle inside Victor Valdes's near post. Magic. Arsenal aren't the same team when he's not playing, as his link-up with Arsenal's many diminutive playmakers can tear even the best defences to shreds. Arsenal's captain on Sunday, there's a chance the armband will weigh him down, but, knowing Robin van Persie, it's just as likely to make him rise to the occasion.
Rating: 9/10
Form: 10/10
Despite the electrifying form van Persie has exhibited recently, the more intriguing centre forward on Sunday will most likely be Nikola Zigic. Having taken a few months to settle into life in English football, the 6'7" Serb has hit a bit of a purple patch in the past few weeks.
By no means the most elegant of players and with the touch of an elephant, one cannot help but think, if he wasn't so tall, Zigic wouldn't be playing at this level. But he is (and has already scored against arsenal this season), and that height makes him so dangerous off set pieces that Arsenal's back four will need to be on their toes all afternoon.
Rating: 6.5/10
Form: 7.5/10
But Who Will Win It?
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But who will be the match-winner in this year's Carling Cup Final?
To be honest, I'm predicting a 2-1 Arsenal victory, with Jack Wilshere man of the match. Goals from Gardner, Arshavin and van Persie. Let the debate begin...
