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This Saturday will be the 125th Football Association Cup final match. This year, two "Premier League" teams - Liverpool and West Ham - will meet in the final.
Liverpool last won the FA Cup in 2001, when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final and are now considered favorites in this match.
If Liverpool wins, it would be the second title for the team's manager Rafael Benitez. Last season, under this manager's guidance, the club won the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, West Ham has not won any trophies since 1980, and if they manage to do so on Saturday, it would crown a great performance for the team this year.
On the way to the final, overcoming teams like Portsmouth, Manchester United, Birmingham, and Chelsea, Liverpool footballers will aim only for victory in the crucial match. However, the team will not start with its strongest lineup, as the defender from Spain, Xabi Alonso, is still recovering, and Robbie Fowler, who has recently scored goals, cannot play in the FA Cup matches because he previously represented the "Manchester City" team in them.
Hamann or Momo Sissoko should take Alonso's place in the starting lineup, while Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may unexpectedly be moved to the right to take the place of the disqualified Luis Garcia. Doubts also arise about the sport form of another team forward Djibril Cisse.
Meanwhile, having defeated clubs like Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester City, and Middlesbrough and reaching the final, West Ham team will most likely play without Hayden Mullins, Matthew Etherington, who was one of the team's main players throughout the season, and Deano Ashton. However, Ashton may still have a chance to fully recover - his chances of appearing on the field during the final are estimated at 60%.
If West Ham manages to win this trophy, even two players from the team can set personal records. Nigel Reo-Coker, a candidate for the England national team, would become the youngest captain to win the FA Cup in that case. It is worth mentioning that the previous record belongs to another West Ham footballer, Bobby Moore.
Meanwhile, if the team's striker, 40-year-old veteran Teddy Sheringham, scores at least one goal in the final match, he will become the oldest player to score in this tournament's final.
