It’s nearly time for kick-off at Wembley with Chelsea and Manchester Utd about to battle for the prestigious FA Cup trophy.
The teams are in and the big news is the exclusion of Romelu Lukaku from the starting lineup with Marcus Rashford in place of the Belgium striker who is named on the bench, according to the BBC.
However, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has also made some big decisions of his own with the Italian leaving Willian and Alvaro Morata on the bench.
Conte has opted for Eden Hazard playing behind France striker Olivier Giroud and the Frenchman’s statistics in the FA Cup could hint why he was given the nod ahead of Morata.
Former Arsenal star Giroud has been in sensational form for Chelsea since he made his move from north to west London in the January transfer window.
He has scored three Premier League and two FA Cup goals for the Blues including a wonderful solo effort against Southampton in the semi-finals.
It’s clear Giroud has a love for the competition, given he has won three titles with Arsenal, and is the most productive player in the competition since his arrival in England, according to Opta.
22 – Olivier Giroud has been directly involved in 22 goals in his 26 FA Cup appearances (15 goals, 7 assists), more than any other player in the competition since his debut. Magnifique. #FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/fgpL44sxNn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 19, 2018
The France forward has contributed to 22 goals in his 26 FA Cup appearances (15 goals, 7 assists) which is a remarkable stat and is more than any other player.
Only Sergio Aguero can match Giroud in terms of FA Cup goals since 2012-2013, according to Sky.