ClapWhile the Premier League campaign may have come to an end last weekend, there’s still one more piece of the English domestic season’s puzzle left: the 2020 Heads Up FA Cup Final.
The name alone is an important part of the story, with Prince William pushing forward an initiative that will see a rise in the awareness of men’s mental health. It’s an issue that will be close to the hearts of many people reading this and millions around the world, and yet some of us won’t even realise it.
There was the possibility of this final at Wembley being contested by Manchester United and Manchester City. Instead, though, we’ll be getting a different kind of derby: a London one.
Arsenal will go head to head with Chelsea in a game that draws comparisons to last year’s UEFA Europa League Final in Baku. On that occasion, the Blues came out on top, denying the Gunners a place in the UEFA Champions League.
This time around, they have the chance to deny them a place in Europe once again – only this year, it’ll be the UEFA Europa League they prevent them from playing in.
Many favour Chelsea to be the ones who get the job done, and when you look at their track record against Arsenal, it’s not exactly hard to see why – but Mikel Arteta will be well aware of what his side are capable of.
Their big wins over Manchester City and Liverpool in recent weeks gave them renewed confidence, to the point where many feel as if they could run circles around their rivals if they happen to be at the races.
They aren’t messing around with the coverage this year, either, as the BBC will be producing content from 8.30am GMT all the way through until kickoff. Sure, the competition may not have the same kind of spark that it used to back in the day, but it’s certainly going to be a final that produces some big moments. After all, there must be a winner on the day, ensuring that we could have a penalty shootout to enjoy if there’s a stalemate in the actual game itself.
The turnaround for the new campaign isn’t going to give clubs much of a chance to improve in the summer transfer window, but with these two, they do appear to be in very different positions. Chelsea have already started the process of going out there and bringing in bigger names, whereas Arsenal are just waiting to see whether or not the likes of Aubameyang and Ceballos are going to stick around.
In terms of our official prediction, we’ve got a feeling that Chelsea are going to have enough in the tank to overcome Arteta’s men. Sure, the new gaffer seems to be steadying the ship at the Emirates, but Frank Lampard knows how to get the best out of his squad when it matters the most.
It’ll be a tense day, and it’s upsetting that no fans will be walking down Wembley Way – but we should still be in for a cracker.
