Betting: Chelsea 25/1 to beat Arsenal en route to doing the double

The seventh FA Cup trophy in 11 finals will be heading the way of either Arsenal and Chelsea this Saturday, and Paddy Power have lined up tantalising enhanced offers for new customers.

Arsenal have cup ambitions as they aim to placate their fans for losing out in the Champions League qualification race, while the Blues hope to secure silverware on the way to the double.

The Gunners, upped to 16/1 (17.0) to beat Chelsea inside 90 minutes, are in their 20th FA Cup final - the most of any side. They may not have lost any of their last five, but if there’s any side that can break their stranglehold of the tie, it’s Chelsea. To that end, Paddy Power are pricing them to win inside normal time at a whopping 25/1 (26.0) with £1 max stake or 6/1 (7.0) otherwise.

To take up these enhanced quote, simply register using the links provided and place your first bet on your choice at the usual odds. If your pick wins, then the returns will be topped up to the enhanced value after the final whistle. Winnings paid in free bets. T&C's apply.

Arsenal 16/1 (17.0) to beat Chelsea

Arsenal, available at 16/1 (17.0), enter the tie in roaring form, having won eight of their last nine games heading into the tie at Wembley. Silverware in the form of an FA Cup could soothe some of the Gunners’ pain having failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Arsene Wenger looks increasingly likely to stay on at the club and a third cup in the last four seasons could go some way to easing the increasingly unpopular competition specialist into a new contract.

The fifth-placed outfit may have missed their primary objective of Europe’s premier club competition next term but they certainly cannot be underestimated, definitely not over the course of a final in which anything can happen. Arsenal have a proud record of winning their last six games at Wembley, a streak unmatched at both the old and new ground.

Their late charge has owed much to the switch to a back three providing a far more solid basis, but they’re more than capable of just avoiding defeat given they’ve retained the trademark free-flowing football of a Wenger vintage, with Alexis Sanchez involved in 44 goals in 50 appearances for Arsenal so far in 2016-17 while Theo Walcott is the FA Cup’s top remaining goalscorer with five strikes.

Given their form and how they’re out for redemption, odds of 16/1 (17.0) are unmissable for those backing Arsenal to partially salvage their season by beating Chelsea.

Chelsea 25/1 (26.0) with £1 max stake or 6/1 to beat Arsenal

The threat to Chelsea from Arsenal certainly can’t be underestimated and that’s where Paddy Power’s £1 max stake new customer offer of 25/1 (26.0) comes in useful. With the tie finely poised and both teams arguably evenly matched in terms of present form, an upset for Antonio Conte’s favourites is certainly feasible, making the low max stake an ideal way to profit from a Blues win with negligible risk.

Indeed, the Italian needs little in the way of warning after suffering his heaviest defeat as Chelsea boss to date against Arsenal - a 3-0 loss at the Emirates last September. Nevertheless, the hierarchy of power in England has changed since then, with Chelsea establishing themselves as the power to beat.

New Paddy Power customers more assured of a Blues win here can instead take up Paddy Power’s 6/1 (7.0) with £10 max stake, allowing you the chance at even greater profit.

The loss of Laurent Koscielny to suspension and Shkodran Mustafi plus Gabriel Paulista to injury means the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Pedro will relish their chances against a makeshift Arsenal rearguard.

The latter in particular has made the FA Cup his competition, netting four times and assisting twice en route to the final. Determined to make up for a lacklustre debut season in England, Pedro is the only Chelsea player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions this season.

Chelsea are now unbeaten in 11 of their last 13 matches in all competitions against Arsenal and that trend looks on course to continue here given the Gunners’ defensive deficiencies. Whether backing Chelsea to win at either 25/1 (26.0) with £1 max stake or the 6/1 (7.0) price, new Paddy Power customers stand to be handsomely rewarded as the Blues aim to do the double.

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