After a long and increasingly frustrating campaign, Arsenal will welcome the chance to come away with a trophy, but Premier League champions Chelsea stand in our way.
The Blues have been easily the best team this season, running away with the title after a tactical change from Antonio Conte, which just so happens to have been inspired by our 3-0 defeat over them back in September.
We have since adopted the newly-fashionable 3-4-2-1 formation of late, which both Tottenham and Chelsea have been using increasingly well this term, but due to a number of absences in our squad, we may be forced to have to revert back to a back-four.
We’ve lost Laurent Koscielny for the final thanks to a reckless red-card received last weekend, and also lost Gabriel Paulista to injury in the same 90 minutes. Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Gibbs are also doubts for the upcoming fixture, leaving Per Mertesacker likely to come in for only his second appearance of the season, having been ruled out since pre-season through injury.
Hector Bellerin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have both been explosive in the right wing-back role since the formation change, and it may be worth considering trying the Ox on the left, which would allow Monreal to play in the back three.
Possible XI:
Cech
Holding Mertesacker/Mustafi Monreal
Bellerin Xhaka Ramsey Ox/Gibbs
Ozil Alexis
Welbeck
This is where I usually tell you that Arsenal are going to win, and that my gut is telling me it will be comfortable, but I’m afraid I’m not quite in the same optimistic position this weekend… Our defensive problems are keeping me up at night, and I can’t see how we could possibly stop Chelsea from scoring at least two, which means we need to grab three! I’m hoping for a 3-2 win, but I think the reverse of that is probably more likely…
I’ll be backing them all the way, and am bound to lose my voice before the weekend is out, and with any luck that will have been from plenty of celebration at the Blues expense.
What are your predictions for today’s big game?
Pat J