Liverpool eye Cup double at Wembley

Either Fernando Torres of Chelsea or Andy Carroll of Liverpool, who have both hugely under-achieved since their record-breaking transfers last year, will claim one of English soccer's major prizes when their teams meet in the FA Cup final on Saturday. 

Torres, at least, has recently shown glimpses of why Chelsea paid 50 million pounds ($81.10 million) to Liverpool for him in January last year - a record fee between British clubs. 

The Spaniard has scored four goals in his last three games, including last week's solo effort at Barcelona which sealed Chelsea's place in the Champions League final on May 19.  
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He also scored his first hat-trick for Chelsea in their 6-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday but failed to hit the net in Wednesday's 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle United and in total has scored only 12 times for Chelsea. 

Carroll became the most expensive British player of all time when Liverpool paid Newcastle United 35 million pounds for him to replace Torres, but has scored only 11 goals in 54 matches for Liverpool since.  

At least his late header against Everton in the semi-final at Wembley three weeks ago guaranteed Liverpool a return to the London stadium for the final. 

Now the two strikers, both dropped from their national sides and both remarkably unproductive in front of goal, have the chance of lasting redemption and a place in their club's folklore as an FA Cup winner. 

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Despite the focus on the Premier League, and a late kickoff (1615 GMT) for this year's final rather than its traditional 1500 start, the FA Cup is still one of soccer's grand occasions. 

The match is being shown live to a huge global audience in more than 120 countries and, as everyone in football never tires of saying, the money is all very well but winning silverware is what matters. 

Liverpool have already picked up a trophy this season with a win over Cardiff City on penalties in the League Cup final in February. 

Their league form though, has been erratic and continued to disappoint on Tuesday when a side showing nine changes from the previous game lost 1-0 at Anfield to Fulham - the first time Fulham had won a match there in 30 attempts over 78 years.   

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Coach Kenny Dalglish though, saw no relationship between his team's latest setback and Saturday's final. 

"It will not affect Saturday but that doesn't mean the performance is right and it is not something you want to dismiss easily," he said. 

"It is not correct to go about your work in that way but if we had come in and won 4-0 it wouldn't have made any difference to Saturday either." 

He was pleased, though, that Carroll was back after missing Saturday's 3-0 win at Norwich City. 

"There were some positives. It was nice to see the big lad back. He had a niggle at the weekend but he is fit and back and played 90 minutes so that is good for us." 
Despite their League failings, Liverpool have the chance to complete a rare domestic FA Cup and League Cup double, emulating Arsenal's in 1993, their own in 2001 and Chelsea's in 2007. 

Chelsea have been the outstanding cup side in the country over the last few years and have the chance of winning the first half of a cup double of their own, with the Champions League final against Bayern Munich just over two weeks away. 

They are bidding to win the FA Cup for the fourth time in six seasons, the best success rate in the competition since The Wanderers won it five times in the first seven years of its existence between 1872 and 1878. 

The only comparable modern record is Arsenal's three wins in four seasons between 2002 and 2005. 

Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo, who has transformed their season since taking over from Andre Villas-Boas at the beginning of March, has a special affinity with the FA Cup and holds two records that can never be broken. 

His goal after 43 seconds for Chelsea in the 1997 win over Middlesbrough was the fastest ever scored in the final at the old Wembley and his winner against Aston Villa in 2000 was the last FA Cup final goal there before the stadium was demolished. 

Now he has the chance to become the third Italian manager in three years to win the Cup after Chelsea's Carlo Ancelotti in 2010 and Manchester City's Roberto Mancini last year. 

"It is important we keep going. We want to win the FA Cup, and the Champions League, and although we have done well to get to the finals, we have not won anything yet," he told reporters. 

The key to Chelsea's victories has been their "old guard" of John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who has scored every time he has played in a competitive match at Wembley - this year's semi-final win there over Tottenham Hotspur and the finals in 2007, 2009 and 2010, all of which Chelsea won. 

Cole, who won the cup three times with Arsenal and has three winners' medals with Chelsea, has already won the FA Cup more times than any other player.

Chelsea v Liverpool - FA Cup final stats

Statistics ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium (1615 GMT): 

* The kick-off time for Saturday's match 1615 GMT is the latest ever since the competition started in 1872-72. But not every final has kicked off at the traditional time of three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon.

* The first final at Kennington Oval between The Wanderers and Royal Engineers on March 16, 1872 kicked off at 11 in the morning, so fans who wanted to watch the Oxford and Cambridge University boat race could reach the River Thames in time.

* Liverpool have won the FA Cup seven times, Chelsea have won it six times, but neither club won it for the first 94 years of the competition's existence until Liverpool's 1965 win over Leeds United. 

* Chelsea's first win was not until 1970 - also against Leeds United - 99 years after the competition started in the 1871-72 season.

* Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 in the 2005 League Cup final but this will be the first time they have faced each other in the FA Cup final. Their last FA Cup meeting was in April 2006 when Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-final.

* The clubs have met twice this season with Liverpool winning both times - 2-0 at Chelsea in the League Cup fifth round, and 2-1 away in the Premier League.

* The clubs were also scheduled to meet again in the Premier League this weekend, but will now play that fixture at Anfield next Wednesday. Coincidentally, last season's finalists Manchester City and Stoke City were also scheduled to meet on cup final day - and that fixture was played in the weeks following the final.

* This will be their 31st meeting against each other since October 2004 - a total that includes 10 meetings in the Champions League.

* This will be Chelsea's 11th appearance in an FA Cup final having won six times in 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009 and 2010. They were runners-up in 1915, 1967, 1994 and 2002.

* Chelsea's interim manager Roberto Di Matteo won two FA Cups with the club as a player - in 1997 he scored the fastest goal at the old Wembley stadium, after just 43 seconds in their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and in 2000 he netted the last-ever Cup final goal at the old Wembley in their 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

* The last two managers to win the FA Cup have been Italian - Roberto Mancini with Manchester City in their 1-0 win over Stoke City last year and Carlo Ancelotti for Chelsea in their 1-0 win over Portsmouth in 2010.

* He can also become the fourth Italian, and the third for the club, to win the FA Cup after Ancelotti and Gianluca Vialli in 2000.

* Ashley Cole has won the FA Cup six times (three with Chelsea, three with Arsenal), more than any other player.

* Didier Drogba has scored seven goals in seven Wembley appearances and has scored three goals in FA Cup finals. 

* Liverpool's Ian Rush holds the record with five goals in the Cup final scoring twice in 1986, twice in 1989 and once in 1992.

* Liverpool are taking part in their 14th FA Cup final having won it in 1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001 and 2006. Their six defeats were in 1914, 1950, 1971, 1977, 1988 and 1996.

* In Kenny Dalglish's last FA Cup final as manager, his Newcastle United side lost 2-0 to Arsenal in 1998.

* Dalglish has previously won two FA Cups with the club - in 1986 (as player/manager) and in 1989 (as manager).

* Like Drogba, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard has scored in a previous final, netting twice in 2006 when Liverpool beat West Ham United on penalties after the match ended in a 3-3 draw.

* Chelsea's Fernando Torres and Raul Meireles are former Liverpool players while Liverpool's Glen Johnson had a spell at Chelsea and played as a substitute when Chelsea beat Liverpool in the League Cup final seven years ago.

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