Arsenal have been here before, only 12 months back, where they came away winners in one of the most exciting finals in years. Aston Villa, not so much, with this being their first FA Cup final appearance in 15 years, as they look for their first FA Cup title since 1957.
While Arsenal go into the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday as the favourites, they will know quite well, as Hull City showed last year, cup finals are always great levellers. It is a one-off game, and if any player from either team goes to sleep for just a second over the 90 minutes they will be punished – Arsenal know a thing or two about that as well, considering what happened in the League Cup Final a few years ago against Birmingham City.
"Everybody wants to make history," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "But let's not forget we have to be pragmatic as well. On the day you want to play well, so let's just focus on that.
"There's a different atmosphere, yes. It's more positive around the team because we finished the season in a strong way. But still, when you walk out there you know you want to bring the trophy home. We want to keep the trophy in our cabinet.
"We did it last year, and we want to get it back again."
Aston Villa are not the only team looking to create some modern history here. If Arsenal win the FA Cup final on Saturday, it will be a record 12th time, while Wenger will become the first post-war manager to clinch the crown six times – not too bad is it for a manager who has constantly been criticised for not winning enough trophies, by pundits, fans and opposing managers.
While Wenger will look to add another FA Cup final trophy to his impressive resume, Aston Villa's Tim Sherwood will look to win his first title. "It feels good to be involved this weekend," Sherwood said. "We are excited at the prospect. We know it's a big occasion. To be involved in an FA Cup final is a fantastic achievement for the football club. It's a one-off game. Form goes out of the window.
"Everyone has a chance to make a name for themselves. The club haven't won a trophy for a long time so it's an opportunity for everyone to write the history books again."
Sherwood has transformed this Villa side since taking over, bringing the best attacking talent out of the side, while also reigniting the form of the man who will pose the biggest threat to Arsenal in the final – Christian Benteke.
Benteke has been a completely different player since Sherwood has been at the helm, and there is little doubt that Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny will have their hands full trying to stop the hulking Belgian.
"He's a player who has a massive potential," Wenger said of the Villa striker. "I think some of the bad fortune of Aston Villa this season was linked with the fact that Benteke was not there.
"When he came back into the team, he gave a lift to everybody and of course he has a fantastic leap, he's an intelligent player as well and he can score goals with his feet. He's fantastic in the air and can score headers against any team in the league."
While the Arsenal defenders will be thinking about keeping Benteke in check, the key to the game will be if the Villa defence can stop the considerably talented and more well-rounded Arsenal attack.
Such is the ridiculous embarrassment of riches at Wenger's disposal that there will be quite a few superstars warming the bench at the start of the game. If Arsenal's attacking unit finds the right tune from the off, though, it could be much like the 3-0 and 5-0 wins that the team produced against Villa in the Premier League this season.
But, with this Aston Villa side a much-transformed unit, Arsenal can, and will, expect a much stiffer competition, especially if the Sherwood's team play anything like they did against Liverpool in the semifinal.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Arsenal sv Aston Villa Goals and Highlights HERE
Get the Report of the FA Cup Final HERE
The FA Cup Final is scheduled for a 5.30 pm BST (10 pm IST, 12.30 pm ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports4 and Star Sports HD4. Audience in India can also watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch the match live on BBC One and BT Sport1, while the options to live stream are on BBC Player and BT Sport Player. Audience watching the FA Cup final in the US can go to Fox Sports or Fox Soccer2Go. Viewers in Canada can catch the game live on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet World.
ESPN Australia and SBS One is the place to be to watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa Live in Australia, while viewers in North Africa and the Middle East can catch the match live on Bein Sports. The action can also be live streamed on Bein Sports Connect.
Team news: Arsenal: Wenger only has Danny Welbeck out through injury, which means plenty of selection posers. Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere were outstanding in the last Premier League game of the season – a 4-1 win over West Brom – and Wenger will be tempted to use one, if not both, of them in the starting lineup on Saturday. But that would also mean dropping the likes of Aaron Ramsey or Olivier Giroud, which also looks unlikely. So the most likely scenario is Wenger going with that starting XI he has used so often over the past couple of months and keeping the likes of Wilshere, Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a little later on, to make an impact if needed, much like Wilshere, himself, and Tomas Rosicky did in the last FA Cup final.
Aston Villa: Ciaran Clark is ruled out for Villa, but Aly Cissokho, Kieran Richardson and Jores Okore have returned to training and are in contention, along with goalkeeper Shay Given. Sherwood said he hasn't made his mind up yet when asked if Given or Brad Guzan would take their place with the gloves in the final.
Confirmed lineups: Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Theo Walcott.
Aston Villa: Brad Guzan; Alan Hutton, Nathan Baker, Ron Vlaar, Kieran Richardson; Tom Cleverley, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph; Charles N'Zogbia, Jack Grealish; Christian Benteke.
