We’re taking a look at some interesting FA Cup final facts and figures that may help out punters as Arsenal and Chelsea prepare to contest the 136th decider of the world’s oldest ongoing football tournament.
Bwin has more than 250 betting markets available on Saturday’s Wembley showdown and these figures could assist customers in making a profit.
* Chelsea have had the upper hand in Premier League meetings of late, winning seven of the last 10 encounters in that competition, compared to Arsenal’s one victory and two draws.
* However, the Gunners have prevailed in eight of 19 past FA Cup clashes, as opposed to five wins for the Blues and six stalemates.
* Arsenal enjoyed a 2-0 success the only previous time these teams met in the final, with Ray Parlour and Freddy Ljungberg firing in long-range strikes at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in 2002.
* The Gunners were also victors in their last meeting at Wembley, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain bagging the only goal in the 2015 Community Shield.
* Arsenal are trying to win the FA Cup for a record 13th time, which would put them one ahead of Manchester United in the all-time list.
* Chelsea can join semi-final victims Tottenham in third place on eight if they lift the trophy.
* Arsene Wenger is eyeing a record seventh success in this competition, with the Frenchman currently alongside former Aston Villa boss George Ramsay on six.
* Antonio Conte could become the fourth Italian manager to win the FA Cup with Chelsea, following on from Gianluca Vialli, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo.
* Theo Walcott is Arsenal’s leading scorer in the competition this season with five, while Pedro has netted four times for Chelsea.
* Walcott can be backed at 7/2 to add to his tally and is 10/1 to score first, with Pedro 9/5 and 13/2 for those bets!
Just for a bit of fun, here are some more facts and figures associated with the Emirates FA Cup final:
* This season’s tournament featured 736 teams from across the country and kicked off back on August 5 last year.
* Over 11,000 players took part this term, playing in games attended by more than 1.8million fans.
* In total, the Emirates FA Cup gave out £15m through prize money, with £2.8m paid out to non-league clubs.
* Lincoln City earned approximately £1.13m in their historic run to the quarter-finals via prize money, broadcast and commercial payments.
* The total domestic TV audience across the season up to now is 82.58m, with the biggest match being 7.74m for Chelsea’s quarter-final tie with Manchester United on BBC One.
* Last year’s final between United and Crystal Palace had a global reach of 88m and was broadcast in more than 100 countries.
