Though Antonio Conte doesn’t come close to former Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho’s ability to play mind games during the pre-match press conferences, he did try a trick or two this time before the FA Cup final. The Italian clearly stated that Arsenal are the favourites to win the FA Cup on Saturday.
He further expressed how Chelsea’s title-winning campaign has made them complacent before the vital face-off between the two London rivals, and Arsenal’s strong will to find meaning in an otherwise pathetic season would give them the much-needed edge in this clash.
However, one doesn’t need reminding that Arsenal are struggling hugely with an injury-struck defence and Chelsea’s star players have got enough rest now to come firing for the final game of the season at full throttle. The Blues had a convincing win over Arsenal the last time the Gunners visited them at the Stamford Bridge and chances are the North-London side could be outplayed yet again.
Here are the 3 Chelsea players who could play a crucial role against Arsenal-
Eden Hazard- The Belgian is the foremost dribbler in the Premier League at the moment and Arsenal have always found it difficult to keep him from scoring. He made a nuisance of Arsenal midfielder, Francis Coquelin, last time and he surely has no different intentions this time. Under Conte, he has revived his dismal form from the previous season and will perhaps be Arsenal’s biggest threat.
And his job could be made further easier if Wenger decides to start with Aaron Ramsey in the midfield. The Welshman did score a brilliant goal to put a strong case before the manager, but his weak defending could be dangerous for Arsenal as Hazard could exploit him easily.
Diego Costa- The Spaniard shares a bitter history with Arsenal for long now. His antics in the Gunners’ penalty box has always been abhorred by the Arsenal fans and in the absence of skipper Laurent Koscielny, his job gets easier for sure. Arsenal are likely to deputise Per Mertesacker in the central defence, and although the German will have an advantage over Costa in the aerial duels, he might not be able to keep up with his pace and dirty games.
Victor Moses- With Monreal falling back to fill the central defender’s role in the absence of Koscielny and Mustafi. Kieran Gibbs will be given the job of the left wing-back in this game. The English international hasn’t had a good season, which has been marked by patches of inconsistency, especially in big games. To top that, he has been struggling with a thigh problem that could restrict him to fully guard Moses on that right flank.
