Saturday 30 May 2015 08:35, UK
Holders Arsenal will be strong favourites when they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
The Gunners finished 13 places above Villa in the Premier League table but that will count for little at the weekend.
Here we pick out three of the key individual battles that could go a long way to deciding the outcome of the 2015 FA Cup final…
Mesut Ozil v Ashley Westwood
It seems Mesut Ozil has taken a liking to Aston Villa. Arsenal’s creative playmaker has already scored home and away against them in the Premier League this season, the only team against which he’s achieved that feat in his two seasons at the Emirates Stadium. Villa will have to be particularly watchful of the German on Saturday as he could well find the space he craves in the wide open expanses of Wembley.
The task of stopping him could fall to Ashley Westwood. The Villa midfielder cannot allow Ozil - a master of spatial awareness - to pop up in those pockets to hurt a team that remains defensively vulnerable, as shown by the six goals they conceded on their previous road trip against Southampton. Westwood likes to stroke the ball around from deep but perhaps his best work will have to come without the ball at the weekend.
Hector Bellerin v Jack Grealish
The last man to score a goal in games between these two teams was Hector Bellerin, when the young Arsenal full-back added a fifth goal in the February demolition of Villa at the Emirates. It was a goal and a performance that underlined the Spaniard’s emergence as an important part of this Arsenal team, bringing pace, urgency and intensity to a team that can be high on quality and yet short of such qualities nevertheless.
However, it’s worth noting that Jack Grealish was yet to make his full Premier League debut when that game took place. He’s now the fans' favourite at Villa Park and delivered a star turn on this very pitch in the semi-final win over Liverpool. Emre Can boasted a big reputation going into that game but had no answer to Grealish and the teenager’s ability to carry the ball could be crucial on a day when his team is sure to be under pressure.
Per Mertesacker v Christian Benteke
It was Gabriel Paulista who partnered Mertesacker in the final Premier League game of the season but Laurent Koscielny seems certain to be restored alongside the big German at Wembley. The pair have kept clean sheets against Villa at home and away so far this season, forging one of the country’s most impressive defensive partnerships but Mertesacker’s considerable frame is sure to be put to the test once more against Tim Sherwood’s men.
Aerial bombardment has been a key feature of Sherwood’s tactics since reinvigorating Villa and it’s easy to appreciate why with Christian Benteke around – he’s won more aerial duels (188) than any other Premier League player. Benteke might have failed to get the better of Mertesacker earlier this year but the Belgian can take heart from the three goals in two games he scored against Arsenal last season. At his best, Benteke could win the battle of the giants.
