The 134th FA Cup final will take place on Saturday when Arsenal takes on Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium (12:30 p.m. ET, Fox).
Arsene Wenger’s side will be hopeful of completing a successful defense of the trophy they won with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Hull City 12 months ago, and the in-form Gunners are solid favorites with the oddsmakers to double their delight with a win against Villa this weekend.
Indeed, the north London side can be backed at odds of about -215 at William Hill U.S. to claim the Cup inside 90 minutes on Saturday, while Tim Sherwood’s side is chalked up at a chunky +575 with the same sports book to beat Wenger’s men in regulation.
Bettors should note that Arsenal's previous three trips to Wembley have all gone to extra-time and, therefore, there may be value in backing the +325 odds at William Hill U.S. for the FA Cup final to end all square at the end of 90 minutes.
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Arsenal warmed up for their trip to Wembley with a thumping 4-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the Premier League season, and Wenger will be looking for more of the same from his side as it hopes to end the season on a high.
Goal-scorer props and spread bets
Olivier Giroud is the man likely to spearhead Arsenal’s attack, and the France international has been in excellent form for the Gunners this term.
Giroud has scored an impressive 14 goals in just 27 league appearances for Arsenal this season, and although the goals have dried up for the 28-year-old striker in recent weeks – he has failed to score in his last eight appearances for Arsenal – there is no doubt the striker will pose a threat to the Villans.
Giroud can be backed at 7-to-2 odds (+350) offshore to score first and a tempting even-money to score at any time.
Alexis Sanchez has enjoyed a sensational first season in English football, and the 26-year-old Chilean striker is sure to attract plenty of support from bettors at 4-to-1 to break the deadlock.
Sanchez scored both goals in the 2-1 extra-time win over Reading in last month’s FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley and will be keen to make his mark on Saturday’s showpiece – and the +115 odds for the former Barcelona striker to score at any time looks to represent excellent value.
Arsenal has recorded 5-0 and 3-0 victories over Aston Villa already this season, and there is no question that Wenger’s men have sufficient firepower to heap yet more misery upon Tim Sherwood’s side this weekend.
With that in mind, the +150 odds for Arsenal to win to in a shutout at Wembley carries some appeal, and while that prop is not offered in Las Vegas, bettors can lay 1 goal with Arsenal for -120 on a spread bet at William Hill U.S.
However, the Gunners must not underestimate the threat posed by the underdogs and, in particular, in-form Belgian striker Christian Benteke, who has experienced an impressive revival after a change of management at Villa park.
The 24-year-old striker scored the goal that started Villa’s remarkable run to Wembley with a late strike in a 1-0 win over Blackpool at Villa Park back in January, and the big Belgian will be dreaming of scoring the goal that sees his side lift the FA Cup for the first time since 1957.
Benteke, who has scored 10 times in his last nine matches for Villa, is available at +650 to score first on Saturday and +205 to score at any time.
The pick
Arsenal should prove to be too strong for the Villans when these two sides go head-to-head and, therefore, the +120 odds on a prop for the north Londoners to lead at both half-time and full-time is tempting.
One year on from their success against Hull City in the final of this competition, Arsenal is set to pick up more silverware and can be trusted to enjoy a comfortable win against Aston Villa.
Therefore, bettors are advised to snap up the +120 odds for Wenger’s men to lead at both half-time and full-time at Wembley this weekend.
Goal.com best bet: Arsenal to lead at half-time and full-time at 6-to-5 odds (+120)
This article has been edited since its original version on Goal.com to reflect the odds offered in Las Vegas, where applicable.