Can 9/2 Toffees spring a surprise by repeating their 1995 achievement?

Two in-form teams meet at Wembley on Saturday, although the bookmakers have little doubt as to who the strong favourites are. Guus Hiddink is expected to finish his interim manager role at Stamford Bridge on a high, with Chelsea priced at 4/9 (Boylesports) to lift the FA Cup and make up for missing out as far as the Premier League and Europe are concerned. The Blues are also a shade of odds-on (4/5 Skybet) to win in ninety minutes, although it might not be a straightforward victory against a team who knocked Manchester United out at the semi-final stage.

Indeed, both league matches between the teams this season have ended goalless, despite twenty points separating the sides in the final standings. It’s easy to see another low-scoring encounter (8/13 bet365) on Saturday, especially as Everton will set up defensively from the outset. Manager David Moyes will know better than to send his team out all guns blazing, especially as they will always have a chance of scoring from set pieces. The Scot will be heartened by the fact that his team lost just four away games in the league this term and they’re a massive 9/2 (Coral) to win this game in normal time.

Everton come into this game off the back of wins against West Ham and Fulham, ensuring that the Merseyside club have plenty of momentum going into this match. Leon Osman bagged a brace at Craven Cottage and the midfielder is a massive 20/1 with bet365 to open the scoring in the final. Louis Saha (10/1 Coral) is likely to play as a lone striker, while Tim Cahill (12/1 William Hill) is what you might describe as a big game player. It’s just a question of whether the underdogs will suffer as a result of Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta being crocked for the showdown.

Nevertheless, I have seen better odds-on chances than Chelsea, despite Hiddink having a wealth of experience for these type of games. While Nicolas Anelka (6/1 Skybet) finished as the league’s top scorer, it’s Didier Drogba (11/2 bet365) who can play the part of battering ram so successfully. The Ivorian seems to thrive in cup finals for the Blues, helping to defeat Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in previous seasons with his goals. If the London side do land the victory, it’s likely to be by a 1-0 (6/1 Ladbrokes) or a 2-0 (7/1 Stan James) scoreline. Nevertheless, Boylesports’ 11/1 that they win on penalties carries a fair degree of appeal, especially as they’re likely to face an organised and resilient Everton defence which held firm against Manchester United for 120 minutes.