Not long to go now!!!
Arsenal v Man Utd team news
Arsenal have already revealed that Thierry Henry will miss the FA Cup final with an Achilles tendon injury.
Jose Reyes could lead the line in the Frenchman's absence while midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has been passed fit.
Manchester United defenders Gabriel Heinze and Gary Neville are both expected to miss the Cardiff match.
Heinze has ankle ligament damage, while Neville has a groin injury, although the England man will be given until the last minute to prove his fitness.
Arsenal (from): TBC
Manchester United (from): Carroll, Howard, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Heinze, O'Shea, Fletcher, Fortune, Ronaldo, Kleberson, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Miller, Van Nistelrooy, Smith, Rooney, Saha.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
"Sir Alex can prepare his team to face us with Henry but I can assure everyone he is not going to play.
"I have decided to start with Jose Antonio Reyes but I don't know where yet. I think he is much stronger now physically than at the beginning of the season.
"We don't have Thierry, but Jose is a striker who can be inspirational for us going forward. He is an important asset in our team."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
"We're preparing for Henry to play but, if I'm wrong, I'll hold my hands up and say 'don't be so distrustful in future, Alex'.
"We will plan right to the very last minute and we think he will be in their team.
"Our preparation has been centred around what Arsenal's team is likely to be and what it can be."
KEY MATCH STATS
# ARSENAL and Manchester United meet in the fifth and last FA Cup Final to be staged at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium before the return to a rebuilt Wembley. The pair are simply the most successful clubs ever in the oldest football competition in the world, yet they were both also-rans in this season's race for the Premiership title, and are vying for their only piece of silverware from the 2004/05 campaign.
# The Gunners have won the Cup nine times, and are playing in a record 17th final. They've missed only one of the five finals to be played in Cardiff and are hoping to lift the trophy for the third time in four seasons. They've also lost only one of their last 25 games played in the competition (24 rounds). The only time they've been knocked out in advance of the final since the year 2000 was last season's 1-0 semi-final loss to Manchester United at Villa Park, when Paul Scholes scored the winner on 3 April 2004.
# Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have completed the 'double' twice, won the FA Cup three times and the Premier League three times. The Londoners have lost only five of 53 bone fide FA Cup matches (44 Rounds) under the current manager and Wenger has guided them to the final for the fifth time in his nine years in charge at Highbury. The opposing managers are now tied at 11 wins a piece in the head to head, if you count the 2003 FA Community Shield (decided on penalties) as a United win.
# This will be their fifth meeting this season. Arsenal won the Community Shield but then lost a highly significant League clash at Old Trafford. The 2-0 defeat on 24 October brought an end to Arsenal's record breaking unbeaten run in the Premiership. They were denied a 50th game without defeat in the top flight, were no longer recognised as invincible and began a mid-season slump. Defeat in the Carling Cup followed when both sides fielded under studies, and then there was a 2-4 League loss at Highbury, which extinguished any fading hopes of retaining the title, but it didn't kill off their ambitions to pip United to the runners-up berth.
Arsenal 3-1 Man United - 08 Aug - Community Shield Match Report
Man United 2-0 Arsenal - 24 Oct - Premiership Match Report
Arsenal 0-1 Man United - 01 Dec - Carling Cup Qtr-final Match Report
Arsenal 2-4 Man United - 01 Feb - Premiership Match Report
# The 2-1 defeat, away to Birmingham, on the last day of the season was Arsenal's only loss in 15 League and Cup matches since the end of February - 12 of which were won (counting the goalless FA Cup replay with Sheffield United and decided on penalties, as a Gunners win).
# MANCHESTER UNITED defend the trophy they won twelve months ago when beating Millwall 3-0, but even though they've lifted the silverware a record 11 times, and like Arsenal, are competing in their 17th final, they've never retained the FA Cup.
# Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in FA Cup history, winning five times (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004). He will be leading out a team for the seventh time, United having also been runners-up to Everton (1-0) in 1995. Under the 63 year Scot, United have also won the Champions League once, the Premiership title eight times, the Cup Winners Cup, the League Cup, the Super Cup and the Inter-Continental Cup. Should United lose, Arsene Wenger would become the second most successful manager outright in the FA Cup with four victories.
# United are unbeaten in 12 FA Cup matches (11 rounds). The fifth round loss to Arsenal two years ago is their only defeat in 15 FA Cup outings. A 59th minute goal by Shola Ameobi for Newcastle in last month's semi-final on this ground, is the only time United have conceded in this Cup run and ended a string of seven clean sheets - the second longest such sequence in the 134-year history of the competition.
# If he plays, United skipper Roy Keane will be making his seventh FA Cup Final appearance - one of the previous six was for Nottingham Forest. Only Arthur Kinnaird has appeared in more finals - nine in all between 1873 and 1883 for The Wanderers and Old Etonians. Ryan Giggs has graced the final on five occasions, and like Keane has collected four winners' medals. Should they both add another, they would join Charles Wollaston (The Wanderers 1872-1878), Kinniard and James Forrest (Blackburn Rovers 1884-1891) at the top of the list with five each. Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Phil Neville each have three winners' medals in their possession.
# These clubs have played each other 11 times in the FA Cup, but one of those was a replay. They are level pegging at five wins a piece. It is only the second time they've met in the final. In 1979 Arsenal won a dramatic final, devoid of flowing football but noted for its explosive conclusion. Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton gave Terry Neill's Gunners a 2-0 half time lead, but Gordon McQueen reduced the arrears four times from time and Sammy McIlroy equalised two minutes later for Dave Sexton's side. An euphoric Alan Sunderland then scored the winner at the death, in front of 100,000.
HEAD TO HEAD
Comp Total Arsenal Man Utd Draws
League 172 63 70 39
FA Cup 11 5 5 1
FA CUP MEETINGS
Date Rnd Res
10 Mar 1906 R4 Man Utd 2-3 Arsenal
30 Jan 1937 R4 Arsenal 5-0 Man Utd
10 Feb 1951 R5 Man Utd 1-0 Arsenal
31 Jan 1962 R4 Man Utd 1-0 Arsenal
12 May 1979 FNL Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd
16 Apr 1983 SF Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal
20 Feb 1988 R5 Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd
11 Apr 1999 SF Man Utd 0-0 Arsenal AET
14 Apr 1999 SF R Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd AET
15 Feb 2003 R5 Man Utd 0-2 Arsenal
03 Apr 2004 SF Arsenal 0-1 Man Utd
ARSENAL
2nd PREM
Club stats
Best FA Cup record
WINNERS (nine times)
Date Rnd Res
26 Apr 1930 FNL Arsenal 2-0 Huddersfield
25 Apr 1936 FNL Arsenal 1-0 Sheffield U
29 Apr 1950 FNL Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool
08 May 1971 FNL Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool AET
12 May 1979 FNL Arsenal 3-2 Man United
15 May 1993 FNL Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield W AET
20 May 1993 FNL R Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield W AET
16 May 1998 FNL Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
04 May 2002 FNL Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
17 May 2003 FNL Arsenal 1-0 Southampton
Last season's FA Cup exit point
Date Rnd Res
3 Apr 2004 SF Arsenal 0-1 Man United
This season's Cup run
Date Rnd Res
09 Jan 2005 R3 Arsenal 2-1 Stoke C
more
29 Jan 2005 R4 Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
more
19 Feb 2005 R5 Arsenal 1-1 Sheff Utd
more
01 Mar 2005 R5 R Sheff Utd 0-0 Arsenal
more
AET, Arsenal won 4-2 on penalties
12 Mar 2005 QF Bolton 0-1 Arsenal
more
16 Apr 2005 SF Arsenal 3-0 Blackburn
more
MANCHESTER UNITED
3rd PREM
Club stats
Best FA Cup record
WINNERS (11 times)
Date Rnd Res
24 Apr 1909 FNL Bristol City 0-1 Man United
24 Apr 1948 FNL Blackpool 2-4 Man United
25 May 1963 FNL Leicester C 1-3 Man United
21 May 1977 FNL Liverpool 1-2 Man United
21 May 1983 FNL Brighton 2-2 Man United AET
26 May 1983 FNL R Brighton 0-4 Man United
18 May 1985 FNL Everton 0-1 Man United AET
12 May 1990 FNL Crystal Palace 3-3 Man United AET
17 May 1990 FNL Crystal Palace 0-1 Man United
14 May 1994 FNL Chelsea 0-4 Man United
11 May 1996 FNL Liverpool 0-1 Man United
22 May 1999 FNL Man United 2-0 Newcastle
22 May 2004 FNL Man United 3-0 Millwall
Last season's FA Cup exit point
Date Rnd Res
22 May 2004 FNL Man United 3-0 Millwall
This season's Cup run
Date Rnd Res
08 Jan 2005 R3 Man United 0-0 Exeter C
more
19 Jan 2005 R3 R Exeter C 0-2 Man United
more
29 Jan 2005 R4 Man United 3-0 Middlesbrough
more
19 Feb 2005 R5 Everton 0-2 Man United
more
12 Mar 2005 QF Southampton 0-4 Man United
more
17 Apr 2005 SF Man United 4-1 Newcastle
more