FA Cup 2007 -- Preview

Chelsea v Manchester United

FA Cup final
Date: Saturday, 19 May 2007
Venue: Wembley
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)

Chelsea head into the FA Cup final without Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Andriy Shevchenko.

Winger Arjen Robben is still recovering from knee surgery but hopes to be fit enough for a place on the bench.

Midfielder Mikel Jon Obi is struggling with a thigh strain while Ashley Cole is a major doubt with an ankle problem which requires surgery.

Boss Jose Mourinho hinted he could use keeper Hilario as a substitute striker but is more likely to pick Ben Sahar.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to hand the right-back role to Wes Brown with Gary Neville out injured.

That means disappointment for John O'Shea while Gabriel Heinze is also set to miss out as Patrice Evra is tipped to start at left-back.

Ferguson must also decide whether to pick Alan Smith up front or bolster his midfield with Darren Fletcher.

Louis Saha has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Hilario, Cudicini, Geremi, Ferreira, A Cole, Terry, Boulahrouz, Diarra, Makelele, Obi, Lampard, Essien, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, Bridge, Robben, Drogba, Sahar.

Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Heinze, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Richardson, Eagles, Rooney, Smith, Solskjaer.

BIG-MATCH FACTS

CHELSEA against Manchester United is a fitting fixture with which to end the domestic season, but it's only the third time in history that the leading two clubs in the League have graced the FA Cup final. In 1913, Aston Villa beat the champions Sunderland 1-0, and in 1986 champions Liverpool did the League and FA Cup double, in beating their Merseyside rivals and League runners-up Everton 3-1. Indeed every FA Cup final from 1995 has been won by one of the top four finishers in this season's Premiership. Having spent the top flight campaign chasing Manchester United, Chelsea are now looking to the 126th FA Cup to compensate for surrendering their League crown to the Red Devils in what has now become the Blues' most important game of the season.

The Londoners were the last club to win the FA Cup final at the old Wembley in 2000 and are keen to be the first to lift the silverware at the magnificent new structure, built at a cost of more than £750 million. Seven years ago, Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the end-of-season showpiece with a goal from Roberto Di Matteo. The same player scored the fastest goal in Wembley Cup Final history three years earlier, when his strike after 43 seconds led to a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough. It wasn't so clear cut in 1970 as the final went to a replay. The original tie, played on a disgraceful surface that had earlier hosted the Horse of the Year Show, ended 2-2 after 120 minutes. Chelsea prevailed 2-1 in the replay at Old Trafford. Peter Osgood ensured he scored in every round, and David Webb won it in extra time. The west Londoners qualified for the final only once in the six years it was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. They lost 2-0 to Arsenal in 2002.

The FA Cup remains the only domestic trophy Chelsea have not won under owner Roman Abramovich and manager Jose Mourinho. They go into Saturday's game in front of 90,000 and a global television audience on their longest winless run in the Mourinho era of five matches. They ended the Premiership season with five draws, interspersed by the loss on penalties to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.

This will be the ninth time that managers Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have gone head-to-head. The Portuguese has the better record with four wins, one loss and three draws. The defeat was 1-0 in last season's visit to Old Trafford when United ended Chelsea's 40-match unbeaten Premiership run. Chelsea gained revenge by clinching their second straight Premier League title with a 3-0 success in last season's reverse fixture. This season's two meetings were all square, although the Stamford Bridge fixture was an uncompetitive affair as the title had just been claimed by the Red Devils.

Goalkeeper Petr CECH could well be celebrating an early birthday present should Chelsea win. The Czech Republic international turns 25 the day after the final.

MANCHESTER UNITED take on their free-spending fierce rivals eager to complete a first League and FA Cup double since famously completing the treble with the Champions League in 1999. At the same time they would also deny Chelsea a Carling Cup and FA Cup double.

The Old Trafford giants are making a record 18th appearance in the FA Cup final, and are setting their sights on lifting the trophy for a 12th time, thus increasing the outright record they already hold. Seven of the previous 17 final appearances were under Sir Alex, and five of those were victorious (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004). Ferguson has won 18 major trophies as United manager and 27 titles in total in his managerial career in Scottish and English football - a post-war record.

While Chelsea eased their way into the quarter-finals with home ties against lower League opposition in Macclesfield, Nottingham Forest and Norwich, before dismissing Tottenham after a replay, and Blackburn after extra time, Manchester United have come up against Premiership opposition all the way. They accounted for Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Watford at the first time of asking, and Reading and Middlesbrough after replays. Their Cup run has produced 23 goals, 15 by United, whereas Chelsea's has yielded 26 goals, 20 by the Blues.

The Red Devils had dominated meetings with Chelsea in football's oldest knock out competition. This is the 10th time they find themselves facing each other. United lead by eight wins to one. Since Chelsea's solitary success in the quarter-finals in 1950, United have won seven clashes, six at the first time of asking. They needed a replay on the most recent occasion, in the last four in 1999. A goalless draw at the Theatre of Dreams was followed by a 0-2 success in west London when Dwight Yorke scored both. United's most important victory came in the 1994 final, when Eric Cantona was at his height. The Frenchman scored two penalties in seven minutes after the hour of a match which had been level pegging until then. Mark Hughes and Brian McClair were the other scorers in a 4-0 triumph against Glenn Hoddle's side that completed United's first ever League and FA Cup double.

This final could provide Paul Scholes with a third FA Cup winners' medal after successes in 1999 and 2004, but Ryan Giggs could go one better, and become the first player to claim five winners' medals since Jimmy Forrest of Blackburn Rovers in 1891. Victory would also give the 33-year old Welshmen his 17th major honour, which would equal the all-time record of Liverpool's Phil Neal.

The PFA's Player and Young Player of the Year and United's 23-goal leading scorer this season, Ronaldo, will be making his 150th start for the club if he lines-up for the kick off.

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