We’re into the semi-finals of the FA Cup and there are two wonderfully poised ties to look forward to. The first sees two great London rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham, who sit first and second in the Premier League, try to be the first side to book a place in the 2017 final. Joining the winner will be one of Arsenal or Manchester City who go head to head on Sunday afternoon. No side has won this competition more times than Arsenal (Man United are level with the Gunners on 12 wins in total) but they’ll need to put their stuttering league form to one side if they are to secure a historic thirteenth FA Cup win.
Saturday 22nd April 2017
Chelsea v Tottenham (17:15) – Tottenham to qualify (5/4 with Betfair)
When the draw was announced, Chelsea were the clear, although not overwhelming favourites to progress to the final. Performances in the league by both sides since have changed the picture quite substantially and now there is very little to separate them. The Blues have suffered two defeats in their last four matches and they are looking far from the formidable side they were a few months ago. Clean sheets once came so regularly to Antonio Conte’s side but they’ve managed just two in their last 12 games. The situation up top is no better as Diego Costa is without a goal in his last six appearances for his club.
The state of affairs at Spurs is rather rosier. Pochettino’s men have peaked at an opportune moment, enjoying victory during all of their last eight appearances. In this time they’ve scored an incredible 28 goals whilst also keeping five clean sheets. They are a team without any real weakness at the moment and it’s possible they will line up with a full strength side if Danny Rose is able to recover from a knee injury. Spurs didn’t enjoy their time at Wembley much during their European campaign this season and while this will be a concern for them, given the superb form they are in, they have to be backed to progress.
Sunday 23rd April 2017
Arsenal v Man City (15:00) – Arsenal to win with a +1 handicap (10/11 with Bet365)
When these two sides met earlier in the month in a league clash, Arsenal fought back twice to ensure that it was honours even come full time. This game is likely to give us some indication as to how this match will pan out although City will be expecting a stronger showing with Vincent Kompany now at their disposal. The influential Belgian returns to a side who have been in good scoring form of late, netting nine times in their last four contests. Some signs are looking good for the Citizens but it’s wise to remember that they’ve only once managed to beat the Gunners during their last eight competitive meetings.
Arsenal may be a club having something resembling a crisis at the moment but you can simply not write off a side with so much success in this competition. The Gunners have won two of the last three FA Cups and Arsene Wenger will surely benefit from this experience. His players have often lacked desire in the league lately but this sort of big occasion could be just the wakeup call they need to put in a good showing. Petr Cech and Laurent Koscienly are both back from injury and the inclusion of these two senior players should steady the Arsenal ship and help guide them to a +1 handicap win in 90 minutes.