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Arteta vs Lampard: Arsenal and Chelsea brace for FA Cup final

London, Jul 31 (efe-epa).- A win for Arsenal in the FA Cup final this weekend would secure them a spot in Europe next year and salvage something of a lackluster season while Chelsea are eying a piece of silverware with their hopes in the Champions League looking slim.

Mikel Arteta’s men finished below the cut-off spot for Europe in the Premier League but could land a place in the Europa Cup at Wembley on Saturday.

It is also Arsenal’s last game before the summer break, given they were eliminated from this year’s Europa Cup by Greek side Olympiacos.

After a shaky start, Arteta seems to have found stability in the team, although he has had to paste over the cracks in defense by sticking five at the back.

A good example of that was his FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City when, despite the Gunners failing to surpass 30 percent possession, they converted the opportunities that came their way and won a game as a clearly undeserved victor on paper.

It will be a different story against Chelsea.

Frank Lampard’s team is not far away from Arsenal in terms of quality but they are the slight favorites in Saturday’s fixture given they have secured a Champions League place and remain in the European competition this year, although whether they can overcome a 3-0 deficit to Bayern Munich remains to be seen.

The FA Cup could serve as an opportunity to secure at least one piece of silverware for the trophy cabinet this season.

Defensively Chelsea have had a similar issue as Arsenal this year, letting in more goals than in recent years.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga seems to have lost confidence since the team’s 5-3 loss away to Liverpool in the penultimate game of the season.

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