London pride

Arsenal takes on Chelsea in Cardiff showdown

Patrick Vieira's future at Arsenal could depend on victory in Saturday's FA Cup final. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

LONDON (AP) -- Chelsea's leading goalscorer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink looks set to overcome injury and start in Saturday's FA Cup Final. Arsenal is all too aware of the danger he and strike partner Eidur Gudjohnsen pose.

London's top two soccer teams travel 150 miles (240 kilometers) to Cardiff, Wales, to face each other Saturday in English soccer's most prestigious one-off game, the FA Cup final.

With Arsenal on the brink of replacing Manchester United as Premier League champion and Chelsea seeking to recapture the form that made it Cup Winners Cup titlist four years ago, it should be a high-quality game at the Millennium Stadium.

Some of the best players in world soccer are on show and both teams are in standout form.

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri hopes that Dutch striker Hasselbaink will have recovered from a lingering calf muscle injury to team up with Gudjohnsen. Hasselbaink has fired 29 goals this season and his Icelandic teammate 22.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who guided the team to the league and FA Cup double in 1998, is aware of the danger.

"I know that Gudjohnsen and Hasselbaink can cause problems," Wenger said. "They're not just good individuals but they are good link strikers too. They play well together. They score most of Chelsea's goals so it's a critical area of the game for us.

"We're not complacent. It's important to control them and I know that we have the experience and the organization to do that."

Arsenal's defense will be led by Tony Adams, who could play his last Cup final after 19 years with the Gunners. The 35-year-old center back will decide in the summer if he will retire or play for another year.

Wenger's goalkeeping dilemma could see one 'keeper leave the club. Veteran David Seaman, 38, is set to start on Saturday even though 23-year-old Richard Wright, who joined the club from Ipswich this season, has played every FA Cup game.

Reports said Wright could leave if he doesn't start. Seaman is also reportedly set to extend his contract with Arsenal for another year.

Chelsea, which has former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit in midfield, has climbed steadily to sixth place in the Premier League standings and, at one stage, was chasing the fourth spot for next season's Champions Cup.

That might not be the same rapid progress as Arsenal's. But it has pleased Ranieri, who moved to the Blues after a successful spell building up current Spanish league leader Valencia.

"At Valencia I made a little road and now there is a motorway," he said. "I hope for the same here. I would like to start the little road and I want also to build the motorway. That is why I signed a contract recently for five years.

"The fact that Chelsea is in the final is very good after a good season for us," Ranieri said. "I am building something and I believe in this team. There are some good young players.

"To win this final is important for the improvement of the players. If we win, they will be sure of themselves. The improvement will happen quicker.

"But for us to get to the same level it will take time because Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal a long time and I want to build. We want to work together for a long time and I think then we can do the same, more or less, as Arsenal."

The Chelsea manager has invited former midfielder Roberto Di Matteo to lead the team out. Scorer of the fastest ever FA Cup final goal after 43 seconds against Middlesbrough four years ago, the Italian has been forced to retire after breaking his leg in a UEFA Cup game last season.

Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires is sidelined after knee surgery and will also miss the World Cup. But Wenger will field Thierry Henry in attack, probably with Dutch forward Dennis Bergkamp. Sylvain Wiltord and Nigerian star Nwankwo Kanu are likely to be on the bench.

Bergkamp is particularly eager for a win after missing the 1998 final with a hamstring injury and coming on as a substitute in the final stages of last year's 2-1 loss to Liverpool.

"Four years ago, yes, that was frustrating," Bergkamp said. "Now I have a great opportunity to get positive things out of this season. It would be great to start a final. I haven't experienced that and I want to win things.

"I want medals. That is what you play football for. You can be a great footballer but if you don't win anything, people soon forget you."

 

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