FA Cup Odds: Chelsea, Arsenal Meet In Final Clash

Arsenal (+365) vs. Chelsea (-140), Draw (+275)

After a wild Premier League season, Arsenal and Chelsea take to Wembley Stadium this Saturday, May 27th, for the FA Cup final. It’s a chance for Chelsea to put a cherry on top of an amazing season, and a chance for Arsenal to salvage something from a disastrous one.

The two clubs had vastly different seasons, but both finished the year in good form. After an embarrassing flurry of losses, Arsenal managed to win their last five league matches to finish just outside of fourth place. Meanwhile, Chelsea led the league for most of the season and finished on a six-game winning streak.

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea was by far the best team in the league this season. That was helped partly due to the fact that they didn’t have to worry about any European competitions. Still, that doesn’t take away from what they achieved.

Arsenal missed out on a top-four spot for the first time in two decades, and manager Arsene Wenger’s future with the club is uncertain to say the least. An FA Cup wouldn’t mask his failings, but it would still be a noteworthy accomplishment.

Conte has a perfectly fit squad at his disposal, while Wenger needs to work around some inconvenient injuries. The Arsenal defense will be understaffed for the final, with Gabriel Paulista out injured and Laurent Koscielny suspended. Paulista can be replaced, but we’ve seen Arsenal tank when Koscielny isn’t there to manage the back line.

On top of that, Shkodran Mustafi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Kieran Gibbs are all dealing with injuries that may rule them out of the final.

Interestingly, Wenger has opted to play David Ospina in place of keeper Petr Cech. Cech has played well, so the decision definitely raises some eyebrows. Perhaps there are some issues with Cech that aren’t public, but either way, the Gunners are usually worse off without their star keeper between the sticks.

Arsenal may have won two of the three last FA Cups, but those wins were against Hull City and Aston Villa. Chelsea is definitely more deserving of the title and picking against them this season has been a losing game. At -140, I’m going with the Blues, but if you’re looking to take a risk and possibly be rewarded, there is some value out there in choosing the long-shot. The site often has great odds on the underdog, and currently has Arsenal at +365. Which bet do you think is worth placing?

Pick: Chelsea (-140)