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Chelsea's Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba - Source: Reuters -
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The FA Cup Semi-finals are LIVE and Exclusive on TVNZ this weekend. tvnz.co.nz profiles the teams involved and takes a stab at who might emerge victorious.
Arsenal v Chelsea: Semi Final 1 - Sunday April 19, 4:15am kick-off (NZT)
Arsenal
Best result in FA Cup : Arsenal have appeared in 17 finals down the years, finishing on the right side of the ledger eleven times. The famous trophy was almost in permanent residence at Highbury between 1998 and 2005 with Arsenal truimphing on four occasions (1998 v Newcastle 2-0, 2002 v Chelsea 2-0, 2003 v Southampton 1-0, 2005 v Man Utd 5-4 (on penalties).
Key players: Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas,
Powerful Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Dutch winger Robin Van
Persie.
Nickname: The Gunners
Club inception: 1886
Something you may not know: Arsenal's notorious offside trap was lampooned during the 1997 film The Full Monty.
The best of times: The 2003-2004 English Premier League season. Arsenal did not lose a single game during the entire campaign on their way to becoming champions - something that had not been achieved since Preston North End in 1889.
The worst of times: Most of the late 1980's and early 1990's when the club was managed by George Graham. They achieved some reasonable results, but became hated throughout the United Kingdom for their ultra-defensive style and notorious offside trap
Chelsea
Best result in FA Cup: Chelsea have won the competition four times with three of those victories coming in the last two decades (1997 v Middlesborough 2-0, 2000 v Aston Villa 2-0 , 2007 v Man United 1-0)
Key players: The South London side has a real galaxy of superstars but some of the best are Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Terry, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.
Club inception: 1905
Nickname: The Blues
Something you may not know: In the 1997 FA Cup
final, Roberto Di Matteo scored after just 42 seconds against
Middlesborough - the fastest cup final goal ever.
The best of times: The 2004-05 season. The Jose-Mourinho managed side won 29 matches en route to the title, amassing a record-breaking 95 points.
The worst of times: 1983. Chelsea narrowly escaped relegation to the then-third division, were in dire straits financially and had ongoing problems with hooligans.
What will happen on Sunday?
Both teams have qualified for the Champions League semi-finals, albeit through quite different routes. Chelsea overcome a dogged Liverpool side 7-5 on aggregate after two fantastic ties; Arsenal were hardly tested, cruising to a 4-1 result over a very ordinary Villareal team.
Arsenal have struggled in the league during 2009, at one stage going four games without scoring a goal. But Arsene Wenger's side have regained form in recent weeks and will be boosted by the return of Spanish wonderkid Cesc Fabergas in midfield.
Chelsea have showed Mourinho-like consistency under interim manager Guus Hiddink, grinding out a series of 1-0 wins in the league to stay in touch with leaders Manchester United and Liverpool.
Expect a close game, decided by the odd goal. Arsenal as ever will look to play their free-flowing brand of passing football and Michael Eissien, perhaps the best defensive midfielder on the planet will look to shut them down.
The Stamford bridge side do have a physical presence that Arsenal cannot match and this may well be the difference. Look for Chelsea's German midfielder Michael Ballack to star in this fixture. The 29-year-old, one of the highest earning players in the world on a reputed 130,000 pounds per week, has been incredibly inconsistent during his time at Stamford Bridge but will enjoy the wide open spaces of Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Fearless
tvnz.co.nz
prediction:
Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1
FA Cup semi finals LIVE and exclusive this weekend with TVNZ. Get
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