Arsenal vs Aston Villa (FA Cup Final): 3 Key Battles
The last game of the English footballing calendar is upon us. It will be played out at Wembley in what promises to be a David vs Goliath clash. Arsenal are the defending champions and Aston Villa just about managed to avoid relegation, winning the FA cup would be their season’s greatest achievement. In 1996, Arsenal looked set to sign a young Tim Sherwood only for Wenger to decide against the move. 18 years later, Tim Sherwood will battle managerial wits with the Arsenal manager.
Aston Villa ended the season poorly losing at home to Burnley while Arsenal ran riot against West Brom with Theo Walcott scoring a hattrick. Arsenal go into the final as favorites to win, but Sherwood has match winners in his squad in the form of Christian Benteke and Jack Grealish. In a span of 90 minutes at a neutral venue, David can get the better of Goliath.
The key battles
- Christian Benteke vs Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny always knew his toughest assignment was keeping Benteke in check. The Belgian has turned a new leaf ever since Tim Sherwood took over from Paul Lambert at Villa Park. Benteke has scored 11 times in 13 games since the change in management. He is one of the best strikers in the league and he may move to a bigger club this Summer. He will look to finish with some silverware.
Laurent Koscielny has been the backbone of the Arsenal defence while Mertesacker has looked lacklustre in many games. Koscielny has proved to be an efficient man-marker many times this season. His performances have been good enough to earn him a place in the Team of the Season. Koscielny has to deal with Benteke’s physical prowess as well as his aerial dominance. The slightest slip-up and Benteke will make the Gunners pay.