The FA Cup is always clichéd narratives galore, and this year is no different. Will Arsenal finally end their remarkable trophyless streak which stretches right back to their last success in this very tournament back in 2005? Or will plucky Hull City -- only last year promoted to the Premier League -- upset the odds and win the first major silverware in their entire history? All will be revealed at Wembley on Saturday.
FA Cup Final
Arsenal unsurprisingly head in as favourites. They are, on paper, a considerably stronger team. But the Gunners often seem to lack the mental fortitude and fight in big games; something which -- combined with a string of injury problems -- saw them rapidly fall out of Premier League title contention having been frontrunners up until Christmas. They face a Hull team not afraid to pack men behind the ball and play on the counter-attack, and which has exceeded all odds to finish in mid-table this season.
Arsène Wenger's side will be without Thomas Vermaelen, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott through injury, while Serge Gnabry will almost certainly miss out with a knee problem. Hull have both first-choice strikers cup-tied in Nikica Jelavić and Shane Long, while Robbie Brady and James Chester are injured.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Thomas Vermaelen (knee), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin), Theo Walcott (knee). In doubt: Serge Gnabry (knee).
Hull City injuries and suspensions
Out: Robbie Brady (groin), Nikica Jelavić (cup-tied), Shane Long (cup-tied), James Chester (hamstring). In doubt: None.
Projected lineups:
Arsenal: Łukasz Fabiański; Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna; Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla; Olivier Giroud.
Hull City: Steve Harper; Maynor Figueroa, Curtis Davies, James Chester, Liam Rosenior; George Boyd, Jake Livermore, Tom Huddlestone, David Meyler, Ahmed Elmohamady; Yannick Sagbo.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 5 p.m. local, 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England
TV: FOX Network (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), ITV 1, BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
Listings via LiveSoccerTV.