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'Hoping it's my fate' Bergkamp hopes for FA Cup final lift after poor season
LONDON (Reuters) -- Dennis Bergkamp hopes he can put a shine on a disappointing season by playing in Saturday's FA Cup final, the showpiece event that captivated him as a boy in the Netherlands. Bergkamp has not played for the Arsenal first team since March 18 -- an achilles injury has forced him to miss nine games. But the striker turned out for the reserves on Tuesday, scoring in a 4-0 win over Tottenham, and hopes manager Arsene Wenger saw enough to include the Dutchman in his cup final plans. Selection for the Cardiff showdown with Liverpool would eradicate the memory of 1998 when, after playing probably the best season of his career for double winners Arsenal, he missed the FA Cup final win over Newcastle United because of injury. "When it comes to football I have a certain amount of belief in fate and I'm hoping it's my fate to play in the final," Bergkamp said on his icons.com Web site. "I just feel that having had a somewhat disappointing season, things are now hopefully coming together in my favor." Bergkamp has managed just five goals in his truncated season, the last coming against Olympique Lyon in the Champions League in February. But he was on target in a 60-minute display for the reserves to give Wenger an extra striking option for Cardiff. "I can play the full 90 minutes now," Bergkamp said. "All I felt after last night was the normal tiredness you feel after a game. "I had been out for five weeks and although I have been able to train normally and hard for the last 10 days it is good to have match fitness. "The manager watched me and knows I am fit. I hope to be included. I missed out through injury in 1998 and you think then that you won't get another chance. "But here it is and hopefully I will be involved." Bergkamp said he relishes the atmosphere of the important games having won the Dutch Cup with Ajax Amsterdam, the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan and featuring in the latter stages of the World Cup and European championship with the Dutch national side. But the FA Cup holds a special place in his heart after he watched so many finals at home, encouraged by his soccer-loving parents who named him after Manchester United striker Denis Law. "Maybe it's something to do with growing up in Holland where there are not many big games," he said. "Taking part in the final would be such an honor for me."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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