Arsenal vs. Aston Villa - The FA Cup final's four key battles

 

Saturday's FA Cup final will see Aston Villa's Tim Sherwood going toe-to-toe with Arsene Wenger from Arsenal for the final domestic trophy on offer. We look at four of the key battles that could determine the outcome.

1. Laurent Koscielny vs. Christian Benteke

The first port of call was always going to be how Arsenal's main centre-back would fare against Aston Villa's star striker. Christian Benteke has rediscovered his best form under Sherwood, with 11 of his 13 Premier League goals coming once the former Tottenham boss took over the reins at Villa Park.

In Benteke's last two FA Cup outings, the Belgian has directly contributed to two of Villa's four goals in wins over Leicester City and Liverpool, providing the assist for Scott Sinclair's winner in the former and netting in the latter.

2. Francis Coquelin vs. Jack Grealish

Two of the surprise packages this year go head-to-head on Saturday. Francis Coquelin was recalled from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic in December, much to the surprise of the Arsenal faithful.

However, following his return to the Emirates, the Frenchman all but made a starting spot his own, with his WhoScored.com rating (7.46) ranking 12th in the Premier League this season. An average of 3.2 tackles and 3.7 interceptions per games was also the best of all Arsenal players and he will need to keep his wits about him if he is to contain Villa's most exciting young player.

Much has been made of Jack Grealish's international future, but the teenager has gone about his business for Villa in impressive fashion nonetheless, much to the benefit of his team. Of all players to make at least 10 Premier League appearances this season, Grealish had the best pass success rate (92.7 percent), level with the metronomic Xavi, who unsurprisingly was La Liga's most accurate passer. The 19-year-old always had the potential to succeed and only needed a chance to shine, which Sherwood handed to him, and the faith has been repaid.

3. Alexis Sanchez vs. Leandro Bacuna

Alexis Sanchez was one of signings of the summer last year, if not the top one. The Chilean adjusted to the rigours of English football with consummate ease following his big-money switch from Barcelona, with his WhoScored.com rating (7.81) bettered only by Eden Hazard (7.96) in England's top tier this term.

Alexis scored more league goals (16) than any Arsenal player, while only Santi Cazorla (11) registered more assists than the tenacious attacker (eight). The Chile international played a vital role in Arsenal's progression to the final, netting both goals in the 2-1 win over Reading last month.

The matchup between Alexis Sanchez, left, and Leandro Bacuna could be pivotal in the FA Cup final. 

4. Mesut Ozil vs Ashley Westwood

Sherwood has a decision to make in the middle of the park over whether he opts to start Ashley Westwood or the more destructive -- sometimes to his team's detriment -- Carlos Sanchez.

The Colombian, though, was thoroughly underwhelming when these two teams met at the Emirates stadium earlier this season, earning a WhoScored.com rating of just 6.06. The Villa boss has opted for Westwood in a more defensive role of late, and despite recent defeats to Southampton and Burnley, could start the 25-year-old over Sanchez once more. Westwood has an important role to play alongside Fabian Delph and Tom Cleverley in what is Sherwood's established midfield trio.

That being said, he needs to improve on his form of late if he is to stop Mesut Ozil in the final. The German was instrumental in Arsenal's third place finish this season, averaging more key passes per game (3.1) than any other player. Arsenal's most expensive signing at £42.5 million also provided the assists for Alexis' brace in the 2-1 win over Reading at the semifinal stage in April. Despite missing a substantial chunk of the campaign through injury, Ozil gained an impressive rating of 7.57, which ranked sixth in the Premier League this season.

Source:ESPN