Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson expects Chelsea to record a comfortable victory over rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup Final on Saturday.
The two sides meet in the final domestic game of the 2016-17 season, with Arsenal standing in the way of Chelsea’s bid to record a league and cup double at Wembley.
Chelsea stormed to the Premier League title this season by seven points, while the Gunners failed to finish in the top-four and missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 20 years.
They could, however, earn themselves a shot at redemption with a third FA Cup victory in four years, but Merson does not expect Arsenal to come out on top.
Merson believes his former side will be unable to cope with Chelsea’s vast attacking threat, having lost a number of key players during the run-up to the tie.
Defensive mainstay Laurent Koscielny will miss the game through suspension, following his red card against Everton on Sunday, while Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Paulista are injury doubts.
Therefore, Per Mertesacker could be in line to make only his second appearance of the season, and Merson believes the German will be crucial if Arsenal are to come through unscathed.
He told Sky Sports: “Arsenal are struggling in defence. If both teams had brought their A game then Chelsea would still have won, but with Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel out, Shkodran Mustafi potentially out and Per Mertesacker playing at the back I would be shocked if Arsenal got a result.
“With Arsenal’s defence, I can’t see them coping with Chelsea’s attacking flair. Arsenal need to have their best defenders playing to have any chance and they haven’t.
“Mertesacker is going to be crucial for Arsenal if he plays; he will have to play very will if Arsenal are to have any chance. If he doesn’t play well then Chelsea are going to cut through Arsenal like a knife through butter.”
He did, however, back Arsenal to at least find the back of the net, even if it proves to be a mere consolation.
Alexis Sanchez will be the most likely player to unsettle the Chelsea defence on Saturday, having scored an incredible 29 goals and supplied 19 assists from his 50 appearances in all competitions this season.
The two sides have shared the spoils in the Premier League this season in terms of their head-to-head record, with Arsenal winning their first encounter 3-0, before Chelsea won 3-1 in the return fixture.